words
from Anglo-Saxon
bizarre combinations
country words and phrases
feminized
histories
low
misuse of
new
obsolete
offensive words and phrases
origins
overblown
over-genteel or pompous
pairs
primary and secondary classes
with similar meanings
Words and Their Uses (White, R.)
comments on
popularity of
Words: Their Use and Abuse (Mathews)
would/will
written language
Wycliffe, John
Yagoda, Ben
Yale
ye
you
use of
was with
ye and
between you and I
you and me, you and I
Young Kate (Lewis)
The Young Lady’s Accidence (Bingham)
About the Author
Rosemarie Ostler, a linguist and former librarian, enjoys delving into the rich record of American usage and word invention. Her books about slang and word origins explore the colorful turns of phrase in America’s past lexicon. Ostler is the author of Slinging Mud, Let’s Talk Turkey, and Dewdroppers, Waldos, and Slackers. Her articles have appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Whole Earth, Christian Science Monitor, Verbatim, and Writer’s Digest, among others. Rosemarie lives in Eugene, Oregon. Learn more at www.rosemarie-ostler.com or sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY ROSEMARIE OSTLER
Slinging Mud:
Rude Nicknames, Scurrilous Slogans, and Insulting Slang from Two Centuries of American Politics
Let’s Talk Turkey:
The Stories Behind America’s Favorite Expressions
Dewdroppers, Waldos, and Slackers:
A Decade-by-Decade Guide to the Vanishing Vocabulary of the Twentieth Century
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Acknowledgments
Preface
1. Grammar for a New Country
2. Grammar for Different Classes of Learners
3. The Value of Grammar
4. Rational Grammar
5. Grammar and Gentility
6. The Science of Grammar
7. Grammar for a New Century
8. The Persistence of Grammar
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Also by Rosemarie Ostler
Copyright
FOUNDING GRAMMARS. Copyright © 2015 by Rosemarie Ostler. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Jeremy Fink and David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Feather by Jut/Shutterstock
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-04612-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-4628-9 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466846289
First Edition: May 2015
Founding Grammars Page 32
