Secret Life of Words – How English Became English
The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English by Henry Hitchings is a look at the evolution of the English language throughs the events and disasters of past ages. You can tell a lot about an era by the words they choose, so Secret Life of Words is in many way both an etymological and historical book.
Where Do Words Come From?
Etymology sounds like a pretty dry subject, but Henry Hitchings shows up who language is a dynamic subjects, as it charts the interactions of peoples and languages. When two cultures come together, they inevitably borrow words from one another, having an impact on the lives of everyone who speaks the language.
The Secret Life of Words also discusses how words aren’t just words, but they are ideas. By charting the development of certain words in a language, you can chart the ideological development and ideological clashes found in a society at any given time. The New Yorker spoke about this concept in their review of Henry Hitchings’ book, such as how the Victorian Age saw the word “sensibility” added to English, while the word tycoon came from the U.S. navy’s opening of Japan. We also see how critical words like “libertine” and “popery” were added to English in the 1600’s, a time of religious conflict, when Catholicism was a fading but still potent ideas in England, and the Puritans were challenging the established order at the same time.
How English Became English
In fact, English has been one of the most dynamic languages in the past few centuries, because the English-speaking peoples of the world seem to have been everywhere and brushed up against speakers of every other language, either through trade or empire-building. Mr. Hitchings shows that the modern English language has borrowed words from over 350 languages.
The Secret Life of Words on Word Skit
This is another of those books that people reading this blog are likely to enjoy. I’ll probably continue pointing out good “words books” for readers of WordSkit to read themselves. I have five or ten different books in mind that I think you’ll enjoy.
About Henry Hitchings
Henry Hitchings also wrote a book about the famous dictionary put together by the even more famous Samuel Johnson, Dr. Johnson’s Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story of the Book that Defined the World. Henry Hitchings is a 34-year old author and theatre critic living in London, where he gained his PhD (University College London, by way of Christ Church, Oxford).
The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English will definitely please the etymologists. The book won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 2008, though the book was published in 2005.
Those looking for an interesting look at history or simply an interesting story might trip over the etymological sections. Some reviewers of a more historical bent have complained that the book was a little dry for their tastes, so keep that in mind when purchasing this book. Most recommend The Secret Life of Words as turning a dry subject in a good story, while the minority consider Hitchings’ book as a dry way to present a dry subject. I enjoyed the read myself.
Note: Edited to reflect the comments of “Kevin Young”, who was most definitely correct about which book won the John Llewellyn Rhys Award.
I think you will find that it was The Secret Life of Words that won the John Llewellyn Rhys, rather than Dr Johnson’s Dictionary. Also reviews have not been mixed at all, as there is a consensus that this is a very good book indeed, with a few people who probably shouldn’t have attemped it saying it was dry!