{"product_id":"the-secret-life-of-words-how-english-became-english","title":"The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English","description":"\u003cp\u003eWords are essential to our everyday lives. An average person spends his or her day enveloped in conversations  e-mails  phone calls  text messages  directions  headlines  and more. But how often do we stop to think about the origins of the words we use? Have you ever thought about which words in English have been borrowed from Arabic  Dutch  or Portuguese? Try admiral  landscape  and marmalade  just for starters. The Secret Life of Words is a wide-ranging account not only of the history of English language and vocabulary  but also of how words witness history  reflect social change  and remind us of our past. Henry Hitchings delves into the insatiable  ever-changing English language and reveals how and why it has absorbed words from more than 350 other languagesmany originating from the most unlikely of places  such as shampoo from Hindi and kiosk from Turkish. From the Norman Conquest to the present day  Hitchings narrates the story of English as a living archive of our human experience. He uncovers the secrets behind everyday words and explores the surprising origins of our most commonplace expressions. The Secret Life of Words is a rich  lively celebration of the language and vocabulary that we too often take for granted.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44955182268469,"sku":"ByrdShop_0374254109","price":27.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780374254100.jpg?v=1770300287","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-secret-life-of-words-how-english-became-english","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}