- Expansion & Support
- My FPL
- Events
- Browse
- Research & Learn
- For You
- FPL Info
Patron Login
Item request has been placed!
×
Item request cannot be made.
×

The prodigal tongue : the love-hate relationship between American and British English / Lynne Murphy.
Item request has been placed!
×
Item request cannot be made.
×

Reviews
LJ Reviews 2018 April #1
In this delightful and highly readable and informative book, American-born, UK-based linguist Murphy (linguistics, Univ. of Sussex) outlines the tug and pull, jealousies, and rivalries of the English language on both sides of the pond. Is American English corrupting the "King's English" or is America "saving" the language and enhancing it? Murphy's analysis of how "fall" came into American usage as an alternative to the French "autumn" is one of many detailed examples of the symbiotic relationship between American and British English. Filled with wit and amusing asides, this well-researched, well-documented text often shows that American English is actually preserving its British cousins' linguistic origins. The difference between the "Queen's English," "Proper" English, and "Received" English is contrasted to "Standard American English." Murphy's analyses are well argued and often very amusing; her investigation of British vs. American pronunciations are particularly insightful.
PW Reviews 2018 January #5
Murphy, an American linguistics professor, longtime U.K. resident, and creator of the
No Comments.