It’s a human impulse to play with language and to create new words and meanings—but also to worry about the decay of language. But by studying how and why language changes and the story behind the everyday words in our lexicon, we can learn a lot about ourselves—how our minds work and how our culture has changed over the centuries. In The Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their Origins, you’ll get a delightful, informative survey of English, from its Germanic origins to the rise of globalization and cyber-communications. Award-winning Professor Anne Curzan of the University of Michigan approaches the subject like an archaeologist, digging below the surface to uncover the story of words.
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Sharpen your language skills with this set. In Building a Better Vocabulary, use the tools of cognitive science to learn new words in a way that truly sticks. Then, in The Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their Origins, hear the fascinating stories behind dozens of words you thought you knew well.
Is English, as a language, in crisis? Hear the informed opinion of two prominent linguists in this two-course set that reveals the remarkable story behind everyday words. First, The Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their Origins is a delightfully informative survey of English, from its Germanic origins to the rise of globalization and cyber-communications. Then, Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage dispels the cloud of confusion that clings to English and gives you a crystal-clear view of why we use it the way we do.
Place the origins of the English language in the larger context of the world’s equally fascinating language families with this two-course set. In Old English Literature: Language as History, learn the basics of Old English and what literature can tell us about the origins of English-speaking culture in medieval Britain. And in Language Families of the World, travel back through time and around the world, following the linguistic trails left by generations of humans that lead back to the beginnings of language.
Covering almost every word of English language that is used in everyday conversations. 100+ hrs of content.
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