I really like quirky books, and so something that’s described as “a circular stroll through the hidden connections of the English Language” is definitely going to appeal to me. But first, let’s talk about what the book is not: What this book is: an exploration of the origin of words and how two seemingly unrelated… Read More Book Review: The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth
I’ve always had a very laissez-faire approach to punctuation; if it looks right, it probably is. Which is also how I end up using too! many! exclamation! points! The Accidental Apostrophe is supposed to help with those problems. Subtitled “And Other Misadventures in Punctuation”, Taggart uses a conversational tone to discuss the uses and rules… Read More Book Review: The Accidental Apostrophe by Caroline Taggart
It’s always gratifying to see your country in a book, especially since Singapore is so small! But it also makes sense that in a book about how English as a language is changing, Singlish (Singapore English) appears as a case study (although, sadly, Abley missed the chance to talk about Phua Chu Kang, a local… Read More Book Review: The Prodigal Tongue by Mark Abley
Quick questions: When do you use the acronym ‘lol’? Is there are different between ikr and IKR? When did we start using the phrase “it be” How many crying/laughing emojis do you use? Why? Is the Internet ruining the English language? Well, if you’ve ever thought about these questions, or even if you haven’t but… Read More Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch
When I saw the Lost Yorkshire Fairytales project on Kickstarter, I knew that I had to back it. I really enjoy folk tales, fairy tales, and mythology, and I haven’t read much (if any) from Yorkshire. So to fill the gap in my knowledge, I decided to pledge enough for the finished book and the… Read More Forgotten Yorkshire Folk and Fairytales by Andrew Walsh
I requested for this book from NetGalley because the idea of language being a marker of identity was fascinating. That said, despite reading the blurb, I didn’t actually realise the title was a pun until after I finished the book. If you’re a bit quicker than me, you’ll realise that Figures of Speech is about… Read More Figures of Speech by Tim Cassedy