Portland Public Library

The prodigal tongue, dispatches from the future of English, Mark Abley

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-248) and index

index present

non fiction

The prodigal tongue

bibliography

212432477

Mark Abley

dispatches from the future of English

The wild, wacky, and sometimes baffling road of the English language and its astonishing evolution is the subject of this evocative and thoughtful, yet always lively, book for anyone who cherishes the words they useAbley takes the reader on a global journey like no other--from Singapore to Tokyo, from Oxford to Los Angeles, through the Internet and back in time. As much a travel book as a tour of words at play, The Prodigal Tongue goes beyond grammar and vocabulary to discover how language is irrevocably changing the people of the world in far-reaching ways. On his travels, Abley encounters bloggers, translators, novelists, therapists, dictionary makers, hip-hop performers, and Web-savvy teens. He talks to a married couple who corresponded passionately online before they met in "meatspace." And he listens to teenagers, puzzling out the words they coin in chat rooms and virtual worlds. Everywhere he goes, he asks what the future is likely to hold for the ways we communicate. Abley balances a traditional concern for honesty and accuracy in language with a less traditional delight in the sheer creative energy of new words and expressions.--From publisher description

Roarific: the power of language change -- Bouncebackability: how words are created and organized -- Throw away your dictionaries: Asian English -- Your rule will soon be here: global English -- Hippu hangu: language in Japan -- Radiante: languages in Los Angeles -- Every single trend: Black English and hip-hop -- Words@future.now: language in cyberspace -- Whoa, how very: words and the fictional future -- The soul's ozone: keeping language real