Why Do Languages Change?

The first recorded English name for the make-up we now call blusher was paint in 1660. In the 1700s a new word rouge displaced paint and remained in standard usage for around two centuries. Then in 1965 an advertisement coined a new word for the product: blusher. Each generation speaks a little differently and every language is constantly changing. It is not only words that change every aspect of a language changes over time - pronunciation word-meanings and grammar. Packed with fascinating examples of changes in the English language over time this entertaining book explores the origin of words and place names the differences between British and American English and the apparent eccentricities of the English spelling system. Amusingly written yet deeply instructive it will be enjoyed by anyone involved in studying the English language and its history as well as anyone interested in how and why languages change.