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The Oxford Guide to Etymology

Philip Durkin

July 2011

ISBN: 9780199691616

360 pages
Paperback
246x171mm

In Stock

Price: £23.49

The best introduction to word history ever published combines scholarship with readability. OED's chief etymologist shows how words originate and change. He explores the histories of place and personal names and explains how to use different kinds of evidence, historical as well as linguistic. This is a book for everyone interested in words.

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Description

The best introduction to word history ever published combines scholarship with readability. OED's chief etymologist shows how words originate and change. He explores the histories of place and personal names and explains how to use different kinds of evidence, historical as well as linguistic. This is a book for everyone interested in words.

  • The best available introduction to the subject
  • First comprehensive account in English
  • Written by the leading expert in the field
  • Illustrated with numerous examples
  • Covers the histories of place and family names
  • Shows the interactions between lingusitic and social change

About the Author(s)

Philip Durkin, Oxford University Press

Philip Durkin is Principal Etymologist of the Oxford English Dictionary. He trained as a medievalist and historian of the English language at the University of Oxford, where he completed a doctorate on previously unedited Middle English prose texts. He is a well-known speaker on English etymology. His publications include articles in scholarly journals, such as Transactions of the Philological Society, Dictionaries, and Critical Quarterly. He is Honorary Treasurer of the Philological Society, the oldest learned society in Great Britain for the study of language and languages

Table of Contents

    About this book
    1:Introduction
    2:What is a Word? Which Words Need Etymologies?
    3:Are Words Coherent Entities?
    4:Word Formation
    5:Lexical Borrowing
    6:The Mechanisms of Borrowing
    7:Change in Word Form
    8:Semantic Change
    9:Etymology and Names
    10:Conclusion
    Glossary
    Suggested for Further Reading
    References
    General Index
    Index of Word Forms

Reviews

"This is an immaculate work in every sense, proudly flying the banners of authority and of hegemony ... a galazy of fascinating examples ... a brilliant, addictive work indispensable for school and academic libraries at all levels, and for all with any interest in words and the enchanted patterns they weave." - H. G. A. Hughes, Reference Reviews

"a very readable, informative, content-packed introduction for the beginner; for the initiated it provides an incentive to ponder the many open questions presented. As such it can be unreservedly recommended." - Elmar Seebold, Anglia

"Our strong expectations of The Oxford Guide to Etymology are fully realized" - Nicoline van der Sijs, Nederlandse Taalkunde

"Very much to be welcomed" - Paul T. Roberge, English Language and Linguistics

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