Perhaps the first truly important book about the divergence of American
English from its British roots, this survey of the language as it was
spoken-and as it was changing-at the beginning of the 20th century comes
via one of its most inveterate watchers, journalist, critic, and editor
HENRY LOUIS MENCKEN (1880-1956). In this replica of the 1921 "revised
and enlarged" second edition, Mencken turns his keen ear on: - the
general character of American English - loan-words and non-English
influences - expletives and forbidden words - American slang - the
future of the language - and much, much more. Anyone fascinated by words
will find this a thoroughly enthralling look at the most changeable
language on the face of the planet.