Merriam-Webster. 7KH 0HUULDP:HEVWHU 1HZ %RRN RI :RUG +LVWRULHV
Fascinating Stories about Our Living, Growing Language.6SULQJ¿HOG0$
Merriam-Webster, 1991. Of all the etymological sources I consulted, this one
provides the most in-depth treatment of word histories, some entries taking
a full page or two. At turns fascinating and enlightening, it takes you down
the twists and turns of the semantic biography of each word. An invaluable
resource for many of the word histories explored in this course.
———. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Synonyms 6SULQJ¿HOG 0$
Merriam-Webster, 1984. A must have for any writer grasping for that
“just right” word. Considers clusters of closely related words, such as
fortitude, grit, EDFNERQH, and SOXFN; discusses the common meaning they
all share; clearly explains the nuances of meaning that differentiate them;
and illustrates them with both classic and contemporary usage examples.
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gift for fellow word lovers.
Miller, George A., and Patricia M. Gildea. “How Children Learn Words.”
6FLHQWL¿F$PHULFDQ 257, no. 3 (1987): 94–99. An important study of school-
age children demonstrating that there is much more to knowing a word than
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Nagy, William E., and Richard C. Anderson. “How Many Words Are There
LQ3ULQWHG6FKRRO(QJOLVK" ́Reading Research Quarterly 19 (1984): 304–
- Seminal study referenced in Lecture 2. The authors estimate the number
of distinct words in printed school English, estimate the vocabulary of a high
school graduate, and hypothesize that the amount one reads accounts for
the majority of vocabulary growth from approximately third grade on. This
classic article is still regularly cited today.
Read, Charles. “Pre-School Children’s Knowledge of English Phonology.”
+DUYDUG(GXFDWLRQDO5HYLHZ 41, no. 1 (1971): 1–34. Read’s groundbreaking
work provided the key to unlocking the tacit logic underlying young
children’s invented spellings.
Schleifer, Robert. Grow Your Vocabulary by Learning the Roots of English
Wo rd s. New York: Random House, 1995. An excellent vocabulary-building