Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language

TheConciseCompaniontotheEnglishLanguageisalanguagelover'sdream.TomMcArthurunveilsathousand-pagecornucopiacoveringvirtuallyeveryaspectoftheEnglishlanguageaswellaslanguageingeneral.Hecoversavarietyoftopics，fromAbbreviationstosplitinfinitives，andincludessubstantialentriesonkeysubjectssuchasAfricanEnglish，etymology，Pidgin，poetry，sexism，andslang.Inaddition，theCompanionprovidesbibliographiesforthelargerentries，generouscross-referencing，etymologiesforheadwords，achronologyofEnglishfromRomantimesto1990，andanindexofpeopplewhoappearinentriesorbibliographies.Packedwithdelightfulsurprises，theCompanionwillbeaninvaluableresourceandafascinatingreadforanyonewithaninterestintheEnglishLanguage.