The English language that is spoken by one billion people around the world is a linguistic mongrel, its vocabulary a diverse mix resulting from centuries of borrowing from other tongues. From the Celtic languages of pre-Roman Britain to Norman French; from the Vikings` Old Scandinavian to Persian, Arawak, Cantonese, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Inuit & Erdu
- amongst a host of others
- we have enriched our modern language with such words as tulip, slogan, doolally, avocado, moccasin, ketchup & ukulele. May We Borrow Your Language? explores the intriguing & unfamiliar stories behind scores of familiar words that the English language has filched from abroad; in so doing, it also sheds fascinating light on the wider history of the development of the English we speak today. Full of etymological nuggets to intrigue & delight the reader, this is a gift book for word buffs to cherish
- as cerebrally stimulating as it is more-ishly entertaining.


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` Arriving in Cambridge on my first day as an undergraduate, I could see nothing except a cold white October mist. At the age of twenty-four I was a complete failure, with nothing to show for my life except a few poems nobody wanted to publish in book form.` Falling Towards England -- the second volume of Clive James`s ` Unreliable Memoirs` -- was meant to be the last. Thankfully, that`s not the case. In ` Unreliable Memoirs III`, Clive details his time at Cambridge, including film reviewing, writing poetry, falling in love (often), & marrying (once) during May Week -- which was not only in June but also two weeks long.. .` Nobody writes like Clive James; he has invented a style` Spectator ` He turns phrases, mixes together cleverness & clownishness, & achieves a fluency & a level of wit that make his pages truly shimmer.. . May Week Was In June is vintage James` Financial Times ...

The Maya has long been established as the best, most readable introduction to the New Worlds greatest ancient civilization. In these pages, Professor Coe distils a lifetimes scholarship for the general reader & student. The eighth edition incorporates the latest archaeological & epigraphic research, which continues to proceed at a fast pace. Among the finest new discoveries are the spectacular polychrome murals of Calakmul, which provide archaeological evidence for the importance of marketplaces in the Classic Maya cities as well as giving a unique glimpse into Maya daily life. It concludes with new historical evidence for the crucial role played by collaborationist native leaders, both Maya & non-Maya, in the Spanish conquest of the region. ...

Maya 2012 in the Moon Spotlight guide series; covering a range of specific local cities, districts, areas & regions in North, Central & South America & targeted at those seeking to travel to a specific area within a country. Each of the guides has been extracted in full from the relevant country Moon Handbook & individual titles focus on a particular city, region or notable area of the destination. Many of the guides in the series are unique in their coverage, although are limited in putting the destination into its wider geographical context that a more comprehensive guide would provide. Stylistically, Moon ...

The art of one of the worlds most enigmatic ancient civilizations is vividly described here by Mary Miller. From temple to tomb, using all the latest research, she explains how & why the Maya made their greatest works & how the modern-day viewer might come to understand them. ...

This volume provides a panoramic overview of Mayan civilization, interweaving essays by experts in the field with illustrations of the objects that the Mayan people left behind. The book illuminates topics including cities, architecture, script, the calendar, gods, ceramics, murals, trade, politics & the Maya today. A sophisticated artistic expression in sculpture, painting & pottery emerges, alongside: the Mayan concepts of time & space; their intriguing cosmic & cosmological theories; their mysterious religious beliefs; their complex economic, social & political organizations; & other cultural expressions such as an alphabetical system & antique codices that have survived through the ages. ...

Road map highlighting the Maya ruins of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador & western Honduras, with detailed plans of the major archaeological sites. Coverage of Mexico extends westward to just beyond Villahermosa & Tuxtla Gutierrez, & in the east the map extends to San Pedro Sula in Honduras & San Miguel in El Salvador. The area ...

Mayan Adventure Map from Can-Do Publishing with extensive tourist information. A guide rather than a conventional map, this title has plans of & information on Maya sites & other attractions, plus accommodation, restaurants, bars & clubs, etc. Presented in two separate, double-sided pieces, this title contains: A 61 x 92cm main sheet covering on one side the area from the Cancun to Piste & Chichen Itza, & southward along the coast to Tulum. Road network, presented in a more schematic rather than conventional format, is annotated with various facilities & places of interest, including fuel supplies, GPS waypoints for important junctions, kilometre markers, etc. Enlargements show locations of toll booths & index panels help to locate various towns & villages, plus attractions. Also provided is a plan of the Maya ruins in Tulum. On the reverse are plans of the ruins at Chichen Itza, a map of Piste, plus plans of other sites in that area, including the Balankanche cave, Yokdzonot & Ik-Kil cenotes & Yaxunah. A 61 x 43cm sheet providing on one side a plan of Valladolid & on the reverse maps of the sites at Ek Balam & Coba, plus other attractions accessible from Valladolid. Both sheets include numerous panels with information on accommodation, restaurants & bars, attractions, recreational facilities, etc. Plans of Maya ruins have details of opening times, admission fees, parking, etc. ...

Mayan World Travel Atlas from ITBM combining their mapping of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras & El Salvador into one A5, paperback atlas with street plans of the capitals and/or enlargements popular areas. All the maps have altitude colouring, although in different grades & in Honduras in feet while the other countries are in metres. Elevation given for spot heights is also not consistent. The maps show the road & rail networks & highlight various places of interest. All the maps have lines of latitude & longitude. Accompanying street plans cover the central parts of the city, show names of main streets & indicate locations of selected hotels & various facilities, etc. The scales are:- Mexico: Yucatan at 1:500, 000, plus the states of Tabasco & Chiapas at 1:1, 000, 000- Guatemala at 1:470, 000, with street plans of Guatemala City & Antigua, plus an enlargement of the environs of Guatemala City- Belize at 1:250, 000 with a street plan of Belize City- Honduras at 1:750, 000 with a street plan of Tegucigalpa- El Salvador at 1:250, 000 with an enlargement for the environs of San Salvador ...

The author of ` The House of the Spirits` returns with a gritty yet transcendent tale of teenage addiction. Abandoned by her parents as a baby, Maya has been brought up by her tough grandmother Nini & her gentle grandfather Popo. But at school, the teenage Maya finds herself drawn towards the wrong crowd. Before she knows what`s happened, Maya`s life has turned into one of drug addiction & crime. Things go from bad to worse as Maya disappears into the criminal underworld. To save her from her old associates, Nini sends Maya to a remote island off the coast of Chile. Safe amongst her new neighbours, Maya feels compelled to write her story & slowly she begins to heal. But can she learn to live with her scars, & will her past ever catch up with her? ...