Skip to content

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages Paperback - 1996

by Richard M. Swiderski


From the publisher

Beginning with the motley crew of invaders who mingled with the Gaelic, Norse, Latin, and French speakers to produce a small nation of empire-builders who would carry their language to the far corners of the globe, the story of the birth and migration of the English language is well known to us through the popular works of Robert McNeil, Robert McCrum, and Bill Bryson. Swiderski expands and extends our understanding of the predatory aspects of the language as he shows how English acquires and is transformed by the myriad other languages with which it comes into contact. Swiderski's examples begin with major world languages, especially Spanish and Chinese, and then go on to look at the less considered connections with remote and extinct languages. Through Swiderski's lens, English takes on the look of an agglutinative museum of linguistic artifacts in danger of having no describable identity or common fabric. Each speaker's variety of English is as individual as his or her genetic makeup; it is both so universal and so dissimilar that English as we know it may be endangered as a separate language.

Details

  • Title The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages
  • Author Richard M. Swiderski
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 160
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • Date 1996-05-23
  • ISBN 9780897894685 / 0897894685
  • Weight 0.52 lbs (0.24 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.21 x 6.14 x 0.35 in (23.39 x 15.60 x 0.89 cm)
  • Reading level 1290
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 95038823
  • Dewey Decimal Code 422.4

About the author

RICHARD M. SWIDERSKI is Education Coordinator at Canal Community Alliance in San Rafael, California. Formerly Professor of Anthropology at Moi University in Kenya, he is the author of seven books, including Voices: An Anthropologist's Dialogue (1986), Teaching Language, Learning Culture (Bergin & Garvey, 1993), and Eldoret: An African Ethnography (1995).
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages

by Swiderski, Richard M.

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780897894685
ISBN 10
0897894685
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$18.48
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 1996. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$18.48
FREE shipping to USA
The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages

by Richard M. Swiderski

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780897894685
ISBN 10
0897894685
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$24.02
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Praeger, 1996-05-23. Hardcover. Good.
Item Price
$24.02
FREE shipping to USA
The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages

by Swiderski, Richard M

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Like New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780897894685
ISBN 10
0897894685
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Boonsboro, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$29.39
$4.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Praeger, 1996-05-23. Hardcover. Like New. Hardcover. No dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Light wear. Clean, unmarked pages. 143 p., 25 cm.
Item Price
$29.39
$4.99 shipping to USA
The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages

by Richard M. Swiderski

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 13
9780897894685
ISBN 10
0897894685
Quantity Available
688
Seller
Uxbridge, Greater London, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$92.76
$10.08 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
New. New Book; Fast Shipping from UK; Not signed; Not First Edition; The The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages.
Item Price
$92.76
$10.08 shipping to USA
The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages

by Richard M. Swiderski

  • New
  • Hardcover
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780897894685
ISBN 10
0897894685
Quantity Available
10
Seller
Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$105.63
$12.55 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hardback. New. Swiderski extends our understanding of the "predatory" aspects of the language as he shows how English acquires and is transformed by the other languages with which it comes into contact. Examples begin with major languages, especially Spanish and Chinese, and then look at less obvious connections.
Item Price
$105.63
$12.55 shipping to USA
The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Metamorphosis of English: Versions of Other Languages

by Swiderski, Richard M.

  • New
  • Hardcover
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780897894685
ISBN 10
0897894685
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$107.85
$12.62 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Praeger Pub Text, 1996. Hardcover. New. 143 pages. 9.75x6.50x0.75 inches.
Item Price
$107.85
$12.62 shipping to USA