100 words

I just barely started The Story of English in 100 Words this morning. What author David Crystal has attempted here is to create a history based on influences, sources, and events that have contributed to and shaped our language.

He looks at words as common to us as street and as foreign to us as brock or bodgery. How did skirt come into our language? Or lunch or dude? He tackles such 21st century additions of muggle, sudoku, and twittersphere.

He writes that the first word, roe, comes to us from Anglo-Saxon runes found carved into the surface of a roe's ankle bone dating from the 5th century.

Each of the hundred words gets a page or two and photos are included with some. Have you ever seen a 5th century roe ankle bone? I hadn't either until I picked up this book. It looks to be a fine read.

Two for the weekend

I picked up The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal at the library today. I requested it a while ago and now I can't remember why or where I even heard about it. I feel as if I am the first to get this copy, though, as the date stamped on the top is April 02, 2012. I will give a report at a later date.

On my way out of the library, even though I tried to keep my blinders on, I spotted Amy Ephron's Loose Diamonds, a book of life stories and memories that I had just read about on Frisbee: a book journal. I have not read this Ephron sister before, but I dearly adore Nora.  Vanity Fair called it "Glamorously gritty." What a wonderful phrase.

So I am all set for a bit of dipping into words this weekend.