The World in So Many Words: A Country-by-Country Tour of Words That Have Shaped Our Language (Multilingual) (Hardcover)

by Allan Metcalf Professor (Author), Allan Metcalf (Author)
Key Phrases: United States, South Africa, North America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Metcalf, professor of English at MacMurray College and executive secretary of the American Dialect Society, traces words from all over the world right to our back door. Many traveled from their native land directly to America, adopted unchangedAwords such as robot (from a Czech short story) or chocolate (from the Mexican drink). But often words took complicated journeys through many different languages, and Metcalf charts their ancestry in a family tree that comes directly (or not so directly) from the Tower of BabelAwords such as heathen (from Bulgaria by way of an early Germanic translation of the Gospel of St. Mark) or dynamite (from Sweden by way of ancient Greece). Metcalf provides at least two words from almost every country in the world, divided into large areas (e.g., Europe, Africa). Each section is introduced with a short history; each word is identified by country and includes a brief essay on the development of the word in English and what it means. A good choice for public libraries looking for another browsable word book or filling a gap in ready reference.ANeal Wyatt, Chesterfield Cty. P.L., VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Like Americans, the words in our language come from all over. Metcalf talks about English words as immigrants, capturing the multicultural richness of our linguistic heritage. His tour of the wide world of English begins with the European imports, including such familiar friends as pal, from Romani, as well as the more exotic muffuletta, the name of a New Orleans sandwich made on Sicilian bread. The next stop is Africa, which donated the language of black slaves--got 'cher mojo workin'?--then on to Asia, from Persia's paradise to Siberia's shaman. The author also celebrates the contributions of Oceania and Native America. Starting at the boondocks (Tagalog), words arrived from across the South Seas (tattoo, lavalava), while Native Americans enriched us with the likes of chocolate and succotash. In clear language, Metcalf explains word histories and language families, but this is not really a book for the language specialist. It's for the word lover who deserves a good frolic with the language. Philip Herbst

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 298 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (September 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395959209
• ISBN-13: 978-0395959206
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,285,622 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The fascination of finding our language roots, May 5, 2000

By A Customer

For those who spend time wandering along endless chains through website, here's your chance to wander through the the paths that form the roots of the English language. It is intriguing and enjoyable to see how the English language has been formed by the influence of interesting aspects of a multitude of languages.