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Globish

How the English Language Became the World's Language

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How English conquered the world: a Guns, Germs, and Steel argument based on the power of the word. It seems impossible: a small island in the North Atlantic, colonized by Rome, then pillaged for hundreds of years by marauding neighbors, becomes the dominant world power in the nineteenth century. Equally unlikely, a colony of that island nation, across the Atlantic, grows into the military and cultural colossus of the twentieth century. How? By the sword, of course; by trade and industrial ingenuity; but principally, and most surprisingly, by the power of their common language. In this provocative and compelling new look at the course of empire, Robert McCrum, coauthor of the best-selling book and television series The Story of English , shows how the language of the Anglo-American imperium has become the world’s lingua franca. In fascinating detail he describes the ever-accelerating changes wrought on the language by the far-flung cultures claiming citizenship in the new hegemony. In the twenty-first century, writes the author, English + Microsoft = Globish. .

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Globish, Robert McCrum

Language
Released
2010
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(Paperback),
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Good
Price
€9.99

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Title
Globish
Subtitle
How the English Language Became the World's Language
Language
English
Publisher
Penguin UK
Released
2010
Format
Paperback
Pages
310
ISBN10
0670918873
ISBN13
9780670918874
Series
First published
2010
Original title
Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language
Rating
3.25 out of 5
Description
How English conquered the world: a Guns, Germs, and Steel argument based on the power of the word. It seems impossible: a small island in the North Atlantic, colonized by Rome, then pillaged for hundreds of years by marauding neighbors, becomes the dominant world power in the nineteenth century. Equally unlikely, a colony of that island nation, across the Atlantic, grows into the military and cultural colossus of the twentieth century. How? By the sword, of course; by trade and industrial ingenuity; but principally, and most surprisingly, by the power of their common language. In this provocative and compelling new look at the course of empire, Robert McCrum, coauthor of the best-selling book and television series The Story of English , shows how the language of the Anglo-American imperium has become the world’s lingua franca. In fascinating detail he describes the ever-accelerating changes wrought on the language by the far-flung cultures claiming citizenship in the new hegemony. In the twenty-first century, writes the author, English + Microsoft = Globish. .