Pick of the Paperbacks Secret Life of Words by Henry Hitchens

The history of the English language is the history of those who have spoken it – which, of course, means many more people than just the English.

In The Secret Life of Words (winner of the 2008 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), Henry Hitchings portrays the growth of the

English-speaking world through the growth of its vocabulary and finds himself offering intelligent commentary on subjects including the immigrant experience in America, the grasping heedlessness of the English in India and the contribution of the Dutch to the techniques of seafaring.

As a linguist would be quick to tell you, drawing generalisations from isolated words is a dangerous game.

But Hitchings steps deftly round the traps and the stereotypes, while throwing up great clouds of delicious trivia: did you know that the first English spelling of raccoon was "rahaughcum", in the writings of a man saved from execution by Pocahontas?



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