Non-fiction - Language and humour - Christchurch City LibrariesLike this list

13 items

• Says Who?

  a Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words

  Curzan, Anne, 1969-

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  Linguist and English Professor Anne Curzan is a cheery navigator through the jungle of English usage in Says Who? She stresses context when applying and relaxing grammatical rules with quality delivery to the writer's audience the end…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• You're All Talk

  Why We Are What We Speak

  Drummond, Rob (Linguist)

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  Rob Drummond puts the áccent on accents in this informed and at times playful look on the importance placed on how we all sound. Look out for the positive inflection an international headline writer put on the Kiwi drawl: Sweet as!

• Interesting Stories About Curious Words

  Dent, Susie

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  English lexicographer and TV star Susie Dent takes her readers into the surprising origins of many words, some in common practice and some a bit on the peculiar side. Find out what a snollygoster is, or discover the boozy origins of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

  Koenig, John (Writer)

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  Ever had a feeling you struggled to describe? John Koenig is at your service having created many new words he has assigned to the previously indescribable. Often melancholic, occasionally humorous and always contemplative, this is a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Help a Thief!

  and Other Misadventures in Punctuation Also Published With Title: The Accidental Apostrophe

  Taggart, Caroline, 1954-

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  A conversational examination of the everyday rules of punctuation with plentiful examples. Written with wry humour, this book can teach even the most precise punctuationalist a thing or two.

• Have You Eaten Grandma?

  Brandreth, Gyles, 1948-

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  Former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth makes an impassioned and witty plea for us all to mind our p's and q's when speaking and writing. He is an enthusiastic wordsmith with a flair for engaging explanations such as the one he proffers for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• All Strangers Are Kin

  Adventures in Arabic and the Arab World

  O'Neill, Zora

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  Zora O'Neill grabs her bags and heads to the Middle East determined to immerse herself in the intricacies of the Arabic language across different countries. She also reports on personal and cultural encounters in this entertaining book…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Adventure of English

  the Biography of a Language

  Bragg, Melvyn, 1939-

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  Discover the origins of the English language, where it emerged from, the threats to it and how it survived, who championed it, and how it became the worldwide language it is today. As a broadcaster Bragg knows how to spin a tale, and this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nine Nasty W*rds

  English in the Gutter : Then, Now, and Forever

  McWhorter, John H. (John Hamilton)

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  Whether you use them regularly or still find them taboo, John McWhorter's look at the origins, uses and evolution of profanity in the English language is both lively and educational. The words examined include expletives that have become…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Story of Be

  a Verb's-eye View of the English Language

  Crystal, David, 1941-

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  Broadcaster and writer David Crystal brings together a funny and irreverent look at one small verb, be. From “Wot be this” and “that’s right innit?”; to “when I was a wentin” and “wot you bin an’ done?”. Illustrated by jokes and cartoons,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Cabinet of Calm

  Soothing Words for Troubled Times

  Jones, Paul Anthony, 1983-

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  Find reassurance, a little healing and inspiration in these astonishing and baffling words in short a “linguistic remedy” for today's troubled times. After a decade of writing books on words and the trivia associated with them Jones brings…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Around the World in 80 Words

  a Journey Through the English Language

  Jones, Paul Anthony, 1983-

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  Join Jones on “a whimsical voyage through the far-flung reaches of the English language” where you will discover the origins of intriguing words, the baggage that accompanies them and the stories they tell. Be taken on a playful romp…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Talk on the Wild Side

  the Untameable Nature of Language

  Greene, Lane

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  A deep dive through how languages are born, change and die, both naturally through use and deliberate engineering attempts (of mixed success). The central theme of this intriguing, witty book is that language by its inherent nature is…Read moreRead more of this annotation