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Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English
A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar Why do we say “I am reading a catalog” instead of “I read a catalog”? Why do we say “do” at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history. Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century ad, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English— and its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for (and no, it’s not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition)..
Price: $13.24
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The Mother Tongue
With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson--the acclaimed author of The Lost Continent--brilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language. From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can't), to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson tells the fascinating, often uproarious story of an inadequate, second-rate tongue of peasants that developed into one of the world's largest growth industries..
Price: $6.98
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Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling
Righting the Mother Tongue tells the cockamamie story of English spelling. When did ghost acquire its silent 'h'? Will cyberspace kill the one in rhubarb? And was it really rocket scientists who invented spell-check? Seeking to untangle the twisted story of English spelling, David Wolman takes us on a wordly adventure from English battlefields to Google headquarters. Along the way, he pickets with spelling reformers outside the national spelling bee, visits the town in Belgium, not England, where the first English books were printed, and takes a road-trip with the boss at Merriam-Webster Inc. The journey is punctuated by spelling battles waged by the likes of Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie and the members of today's Simplified Spelling Society. Rich with history, pop culture, curiosity and humor, Righting the Mother Tongue explores how English spelling came to be, traces efforts to mend the code and imagines the shape of tomorrow's words. .
Price: $9.45
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Oh, Say Can You Say?
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The Tongue: A Creative Force
Words are the most powerful things in the universe! The words you speak will either put you over in life or hold you in bondage Many peope have been held captive in their circumstances by their own words. The absence of God's Word in your life will rob you of faith in His ability Recieve from God! Put yourself in a position to recieve God's best for you by speaking His Word. God's creative power is still just as it was in the beginning of time when he stood there and said, "Light-be," and light was. His Word spoken from your mouth and conceived in your heart become a spiritual force releasing His ability within you. Creative power in you! Man was created in the image of God and His likeness. Learn to speak His faith-filled words to your situation and see your life transformed. Allow God's creative power to flow from you. "I have told my people they can have what they say, but my people are saying what they have.".
Price: $2.99
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A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue
“Josh the Tattler” doesn’t have any friends He tattles on his classmates, on his brother, and even on his dog! He tattles so much that he wakes up one night to find that his tongue is yellow, unusually long, and covered in bright purple spots! Will a bad case of Tattle Tongue teach him a lesson? A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue gives teachers and counselors a humorous, cleverly creative way to address the time-consuming tattling-related issues that often sap classroom energy and thwart teaching opportunities. Parents who “battle the tattle” at home, on the playground, in the grocery store, or anywhere else, can use this book to both entertain and enlighten their children about “The Tattle Rules.” Every adult that desires to help children understand the differences between unnecessary tattling and the necessity of warning others about important matters needs this book!.
Price: $6.24
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Sam Shepard : Seven Plays (Buried Child, Curse of the Starving Class, The Tooth of Crime, La Turista, Tongues, Savage Love, True West)
Brilliant, prolific, uniquely American, Pulitzer prizewinning playwright Sam Separd is a major voice in contemporary theatre. And here are seven of his very best. "One of the most original, prolific and gifted dramatists at work today."— The New Yorker"The greatest American playwright of his generation...the most inventive in language and revolutionary in craft, [he] is the writer whose work most accurately maps the interior and exterior landscapes of his society."— New York Magazine"If plays were put in time capsules, future generations would get a sharp-toothed profile of life in the U.S. in the past decade and a half from the works of Sam Shepard."— Time
"Sam Shepard is the most exciting presence in the movie world and one of the most gifted writers ever to work on the American stage."—Marsha Norman, Pulitzer prizewinning author of ‘Night, Mother.
"One of our best and most challenging playwrights...his plays are a form of exorcism: magical, sometimes surreal rituals that grapple with the demonic forces in the American landscape."— Newsweek"His plays are stunning in thier originality, defiant and inscrutable."— Esquire"Sam Shepard is phenomenal..the best practicing American playwright."— The New Republic.
Price: $7.98
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Don't Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with your Adult Children
Parents make enormous sacrifices helping children become healthy and autonomous adults. And when children are older, popular wisdom advises parents to let go, disconnect, and bite their tongues. But increasing life spans mean that parents and children can spend as many as five or six decades as adults together: actively parenting adult children is a reality for many families. Dr. Ruth Nemzoff--a leading expert in family dynamics--empowers parents to create close relationships with their adult children, while respecting their independence. Based on personal stories as well as advice that she has accrued from years of coaching, this lively and readable book shows parents how to -communicate at long distances -discuss financial issues without using money as a form of control -speak up when disapproving of an adult child’s partner or childrearing practices -handle adult children's career choices or other midlife changes -navigate an adult child’s interreligious, interracial or same sex relationships No other book treats the challenges of parent and adult offspring relationships as part and parcel of a healthy family dynamic. This practical guide will help parents play a vital and positive role in their children's lives. 10 Tips for Communicating with your Adult Children Know the environment: Things ain’t what they used to be so make sure you know the realities of life today. Know yourself: What are your motives? Your child, brilliant psychologist that all children are, will assess your motives so you should, too. Give up fantasy and deal with reality: You may want life and your children to be perfect, but it isn’t and they aren’t , so enjoy what you have. Take the long view: Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your children or grandchildren be fully mature in a day or even a year… Expect the unexpected and be flexible enough to change plans. Don’t bite your tongue, but don’t blurt out every thought you have. Instead of using energy to squelch yourself, use that energy to figure out how to say what you want to say so it can be heard. Be forgiving: We all make mistakes, all of us are rude sometimes or unintentionally hurtful. Forget holding a grudge! Talk to your kids about money, yours and Thiers. So you both know what is available for future crises. Don’t play “go between” between your kids or your kids and your spouse. Now that you are all adults, kids can and should create their own individual relationships with siblings and each parent. Get a life! Now that your children are grown, share whatever wisdom or skills you have with someone. Make the world a better place. .
Price: $8.75
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Tongue Fu!: How to Deflect, Disarm, and Defuse Any Verbal Conflict
If you've ever been tongue-tied - or if you've ever given a tongue-lashing (and regretted it), Tongue Fu! offers constructive alternatives that will turn hostility into harmony and help you avoid a mental breakdown in the face of aggression With straightforward strategies and proven techniques, Tongue Fu! examines almost every kind of verbal conflict - from fights with your spouse or a stalemate with the kids - and shows how to use martial arts for the mind and mouth to deflect attacks, disarm disputes, and defuse any explosive situation. With Tongue Fu! you will learn words to use (and words to lose) in tense situations, the power of the phrase "You're right," the tools to use when people push your "hot buttons," how to handle a verbal bully who enjoys attacking and tormenting, how to gracefully exit an argument, what to say when you don't know what to say, how to use silence to your advantage, how to be pleasantly unpleasant, and how to take charge of your emotions. .
Price: $5.70
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