17.1226, Books: Sociolinguistics: Burridge

Sun Apr 23 17:35:46 UTC 2006

LINGUIST List: Vol-17-1226. Sun Apr 23 2006. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 17.1226, Books: Sociolinguistics: Burridge

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1)
Date: 23-Apr-2006
From: Joyce Reid < jreid at cup.org >
Subject: Weeds in the Garden of Words: Burridge 

-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 13:33:48
From: Joyce Reid < jreid at cup.org >
Subject: Weeds in the Garden of Words: Burridge 

Title: Weeds in the Garden of Words 
Subtitle: Further Observations on the Tangled History of the English Language 
Publication Year: 2005 
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
	   http://us.cambridge.org

Book URL: http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521853133 

Author: Kate Burridge, Monash University

Hardback: ISBN: 0521853133 Pages: 206 Price: U.S. $ 60.00
Paperback: ISBN: 0521618231 Pages: 206 Price: U.S. $ 19.99

Abstract:

Kate Burridge follows the international success of Blooming English with 
another entertaining excursion into the ever-changing nature of the 
complex and captivating English language. If language is a glorious 
garden, filled with exotic hybrids as well as traditional heritage 
specimens, then weeds will also thrive on its fertile grounds. Linguistic 
weeds may be defined as pronunciations or constructions that are no longer 
used. For example, Burridge points out how "aint" or double negatives were 
at one time quite acceptable in everyday speaking and writing but are now 
classified as "weeds" that should no longer have a place in our 
vocabulary. And, as she so deftly accomplished in Blooming English, 
Burridge goes on here to further celebrate our capacity to play with 
language, and to examine the ways we use it: in slang and jargon, 
swearing, speaking the unspeakable, or concealing unpleasant or 
inconvenient facts. 

In this new volume she gives us another fun and informative work for 
enjoyable browsing; for discovering intriguing trivia about language, 
history, and social customs; and for employing as a peerless weapon in 
word games. Kate Burridge is the Chair of Linguistics at Monash University 
and a regular presenter of segments on the Australian Broadcast Company.

Reviews
"Popular treatments of English usage abound. But this book brings a fresh 
perspective to the topic, drawing an analogy between 'weeds' in a garden 
and so-called errors of English usage. This metaphor is sustained 
throughout the book and really helps the reader understand that many 
usages that we now condemn as 'weeds' ...were at one time quite ordinary 
members of the linguistic 'garden'." Professor Charles F. Meyer, 
University of Massachusetts, Boston

"[Burridge's] astute observations, dry humor, clear prose and fushion 
(yes!) combine to make Burrdige's well indexed book an enjoyable treat for 
logophiles." --Catholic Library World 

Contents
1. Introduction to the weedy traits of the English language; 
2. Lexical weeds: the world of jargon, slang and euphemism; 
3. More lexical weeds: word origins and meaning shifts; 
4. Our grammatical weeds; 
5. Weeds in our sounds and spelling; 
6. The truly nasty weeds of the English language?; 
7. W(h)ither our weeds? 

Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)

Written In: English  (eng)

See this book announcement on our website: 
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=19236

MAJOR SUPPORTERS

	Blackwell Publishing          
		http://www.blackwellpublishing.com	

	Cambridge University Press          
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	Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd          
		http://www.continuumbooks.com	

	Edinburgh University Press          
		http://www.eup.ed.ac.uk/	

	European Language Resources Association          
		http://www.elda.org/sommaire.php	

	Georgetown University Press          
		http://www.press.georgetown.edu	

	Hodder Arnold          
		http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk	

	John Benjamins          
		http://www.benjamins.com/	

	Lawrence Erlbaum Associates          
		http://www.erlbaum.com/	

	Lincom GmbH          
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	Multilingual Matters          
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	Oxford University Press          
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OTHER SUPPORTING PUBLISHERS	

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	Graduate Linguistic Students' Assoc.   Umass
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	International Pragmatics Assoc.
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	Kingston Press Ltd
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	Linguistic Assoc. of Finland
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	MIT Working Papers in Linguistics
		http://web.mit.edu/mitwpl/ 

	Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke
		http://www.lotpublications.nl/ 

	Pacific Linguistics
		http://pacling.anu.edu.au/ 

	SIL International
		http://www.ethnologue.com/bookstore.asp 

	St. Jerome Publishing Ltd.
		http://www.stjerome.co.uk 

	Utrecht institute of Linguistics
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