Scan barcode
A review by walinchus
The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English by Lynne Murphy
5.0
A great read! Top things I learned from The Prodigal Tongue & things the author (or someone) should address for a next book:
- Who knew this was such a big issue. The British complaining about imperialism? Wow the English do love irony.
-Yes! The monarchy is entertaining precisely because it's silly. Why could I never articulate that?!
- You know I had heard that Americans have an older accent but I had never actually put the image together in my mind: that every single Shakespeare movie has the wrong pronunciation.
-I was very surprised to learn that there are words that Americans pronounce "IZE" though they also don't write them that way. Americans, you may have to re-read that last sentence.
-Wait an estate is the projects?!
-Most courts that interpret dictionaries say something like: The contract uses this word. Every moron understands this word, it's the dictionary definition. Therefore this is the context of the Contract. But if English courts address the "context only" how does that work?
- Wait the English didn't invent diagramming sentences? But putting things in their proper place seems so... British. @lynneguist has busted another bias it seems.
-I can't even spell the American version of anesthetic. That word needs no superfluous vowels. Though superfluous does I suppose.
-Overall, probably does a better job assuaging American-Brit relations better than any politician ever could!
- Who knew this was such a big issue. The British complaining about imperialism? Wow the English do love irony.
-Yes! The monarchy is entertaining precisely because it's silly. Why could I never articulate that?!
- You know I had heard that Americans have an older accent but I had never actually put the image together in my mind: that every single Shakespeare movie has the wrong pronunciation.
-I was very surprised to learn that there are words that Americans pronounce "IZE" though they also don't write them that way. Americans, you may have to re-read that last sentence.
-Wait an estate is the projects?!
-Most courts that interpret dictionaries say something like: The contract uses this word. Every moron understands this word, it's the dictionary definition. Therefore this is the context of the Contract. But if English courts address the "context only" how does that work?
- Wait the English didn't invent diagramming sentences? But putting things in their proper place seems so... British. @lynneguist has busted another bias it seems.
-I can't even spell the American version of anesthetic. That word needs no superfluous vowels. Though superfluous does I suppose.
-Overall, probably does a better job assuaging American-Brit relations better than any politician ever could!