Author(s): John Ayto

Literary Criticism

Take a fascinating journey from cornflakes (1907) to spam (1994). This vivid picture of the last 105 years is based on John Ayto's critically acclaimed "Twentieth Century Words", and gives a selection of the key words added to the English language in the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first. For each decade, an introductory essay identifies the main historical, cultural, and scientific currents, and shows how they contributed new vocabulary to the language. An A-Z listing of words which were first recorded in that decade follows, selected for their resonance to today's world. Each word is fully described and its origins explained. A final section looks at vocabulary developments of the new millennium. Full of surprises, this book is at once a glimpse of the past and a handbook for today.