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Book Synopsis
CHOSEN BY THE ECONOMIST AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

An American linguist teaching in England explores the sibling rivalry between British and American English
 
“English accents are the sexiest.”
“Americans have ruined the English language.”
 
Such claims about the English language are often repeated but rarely examined. Professor Lynne Murphy is on the linguistic front line. In The Prodigal Tongue she explores the fiction and reality of the special relationship between British and American English. By examining the causes and symptoms of American Verbal Inferiority Complex and its flipside, British Verbal Superiority Complex, Murphy unravels the prejudices, stereotypes and insecurities that shape our attitudes to our own language.
 
With great humo(u)r and new insights, Lynne Murphy looks at the social, political and linguistic forces that have driven American and Briti

The Prodigal Tongue The LoveHate Relationship

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    A Paperback / softback by Lynne Murphy

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      Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
      Publication Date: 10/04/2018
      ISBN13: 9780143131106, 978-0143131106
      ISBN10: 0143131109

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      CHOSEN BY THE ECONOMIST AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

      An American linguist teaching in England explores the sibling rivalry between British and American English
       
      “English accents are the sexiest.”
      “Americans have ruined the English language.”
       
      Such claims about the English language are often repeated but rarely examined. Professor Lynne Murphy is on the linguistic front line. In The Prodigal Tongue she explores the fiction and reality of the special relationship between British and American English. By examining the causes and symptoms of American Verbal Inferiority Complex and its flipside, British Verbal Superiority Complex, Murphy unravels the prejudices, stereotypes and insecurities that shape our attitudes to our own language.
       
      With great humo(u)r and new insights, Lynne Murphy looks at the social, political and linguistic forces that have driven American and Briti

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