Splendiferous Speech: How Early Americans Pioneered Their Own Brand of English

by Rosemarie Ostler

Book Overview

What does it mean to talk like an American? According to John Russell Bartlett's 1848 Dictionary of Americanisms, it means indulging in outlandish slang--splendiferous, scrumptious, higgeldy piggedly--and free-and-easy word creation--demoralize, lengthy, gerrymander. American English is more than just vocabulary, though. It's a picturesque way of talking that includes expressions like go the whole hog, and the wild boasts...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0912777052
• ISBN13: 9780912777054
• Release Date: November 2018
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 7.9"