From Santa Claus (after the Dutch folklore saint Sinterklaas) and his sleigh (the pronunciation of the Dutch slee is almost identical) to a dumbhead talking poppycock; the contributions of the Dutch language to American English are indelibly embedded to some of our most vernacular terms and expressions. In Cookies; Coleslaw and Stoops; the renowned linguist Nicoline van der Sijs glosses over 300 Dutch loan words like these that travelled to the New World on board the Henry Hudson’s ship the Halve Maan; which dropped anchor in Manhattan more than 400 years ago.Lively and accessible; the information presented in this volume charts the journey of these words into the American territory and languages; from more obscure uses which maybe have survived in only regional dialects to such ubiquitous contributions to our language like Yankee; cookie; and dope. Each entry marks the original arrival of its term into American English and adds up-do-date information on its evolving meaning; etymology; and regional spread. Not to be missed by anyone with a passion for the history behind our everyday expressions;this charming volume is the perfect gift for the linguistic adventurer in us all.
#11560722 in Books 2008-06-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.70 x .90 x 6.60l; .0 #File Name: 9004167773320 pages
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