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The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots

There are no direct records of the original Indo-European speech. By comparing the vocabularies of its various descendants, however, it is possible to reconstruct the basic Indo-European roots with considerable confidence. In this work, Shipley catalogues these proposed roots and follows the process by which some of their offshoots have grown. Anecdotal, eclectic and enthusiastic, the book offers a diverting expedition beyond linguistics into literature, history, folklore, anthropology, philosophy and science.

RRP £20.50 Paperback