The Secret Life of Words

Hitchings's The Secret Life of Words is a wide-ranging account of how English became English. It is remarkable source for those interested in etymology. Quite often English speaking people have the choice among several words to express similar ideas, Hitchings explains in a simple approach how the root source reflects the way the word is used. He always proposes an interesting balance between history and word history and reveals the surprising origins of common words or expressions. This is a fascinating survey of the origins of words which makes the author's linguistic usages and developments easy to read.