Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
Mark Forsyth
Icon Books, PB, 9781848313071
What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words. A frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language, taking in monks and ... More/Buy
Language: The Cultural Tool
Daniel Everett
Profile Books, PB, 9781846682674
Like other tools, language was invented, can be reinvented or lost, and shows significant variation across cultures. It's as essential to survival as fire - and, like fire, is found in all human societies. Language presents the bold and controversial idea that language is not an innate component of the brain, as has been famously argued by Chomsky and Pinker. Rather, ... More/Buy
Open Access
Peter Suber
MIT Press, PB, 9780262517638
The Internet lets us share perfect copies of our work with a worldwide audience at virtually no cost. We take advantage of this revolutionary opportunity when we make our work 'open access': digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. Open access is made possible by the Internet and copyright-holder consent, and many authors, musicians, filmmakers, ... More/Buy