Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme--And Other Oddities of the English Language

Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme--And Other Oddities of the English Language - Paperback

$18.34
$18.34
Skip to product information
Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme--And Other Oddities of the English Language
  • Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme--And Other Oddities of the English Language
Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme--And Other Oddities of the English Language - Paperback

Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme--And Other Oddities of the English Language - Paperback

by Arika Okrent
$18.34
$18.34
Format
Hardcover $26.98 Paperback $18.34

Book Overview

For anyone who has ever wondered why English is so weird, an entertaining and expert tour of the most puzzling parts of our language.

Maybe you've been speaking English all your life, or maybe you learned it later on. But whether you use it just well enough to get your daily business done, or you're an expert with a red pen who never omits a comma or misplaces a modifier, you must have noticed that there are some things about this language that are just weird.

Perhaps you're reading a book and stop to puzzle over absurd spelling rules (Why are there so many ways to say '-gh'?), or you hear someone talking and get stuck on an expression (Why do we say "How dare you" but not "How try you"?), or your kid quizzes you on homework (Why is it "eleven and twelve" instead of "oneteen and twoteen"?). Suddenly you ask yourself, "Wait, why do we do it this way?" You think about it, try to explain it, and keep running into walls. It doesn't conform to logic. It doesn't work the way you'd expect it to. There doesn't seem to be any rule at all.

There might not be a logical explanation, but there will be an explanation, and this book is here to help.

In Highly Irregular, Arika Okrent answers these questions and many more. Along the way she tells the story of the many influences--from invading French armies to stubborn Flemish printers--that made our language the way it is today. Both an entertaining send-up of linguistic oddities and a deeply researched history of English, Highly Irregular is essential reading for anyone who has paused to wonder about our marvelous mess of a language.
ISBN9780197760918
Author Arika Okrent
PublisherOxford University Press
GenreEducation
FormatPaperback
PublishedMarch 2024
LanguageENG- English
Pages272
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Language Arts & Disciplines Nonfiction

1% fer Each of the Seven Seas

Every purchase sends 7% of our profits to The Ocean Cleanup. No fine print, no opt-in — just how we sail.

Whoever Ye Be, Welcome Aboard

Queer lit, music, art, philosophy, fiction — stories for every kind of soul. Come as ye are, matey.

You may also like