Read OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word by Allan Metcalf Free Online
 |
Book Title: OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word The author of the book: Allan Metcalf ISBN: 0195377931 ISBN 13: 9780195377934 Language: English Edition: Oxford University Press, USA Date of issue: November 9th 2010 Format files: PDF The size of the: 579 KB City - Country: No data Loaded: 1496 times Reader ratings: 3.7 |
Read full description of the books:
It is said to be the most frequently spoken (or typed) word on the planet, more common than an infant's first word ma or the ever-present beverage Coke. It was even the first word spoken on the moon. It is "OK"--the most ubiquitous and invisible of American expressions, one used countless times every day. Yet few of us know the hidden history of OK--how it was coined, what it stood for, and the amazing extent of its influence.
Allan Metcalf, a renowned popular writer on language, here traces the evolution of America's most popular word, writing with brevity and wit, and ranging across American history with colorful portraits of the nooks and crannies in which OK survived and prospered. He describes how OK was born as a lame joke in a newspaper article in 1839--used as a supposedly humorous abbreviation for "oll korrect" (ie, "all correct")--but should have died a quick death, as most clever coinages do. But OK was swept along in a nineteenth-century fad for abbreviations, was appropriated by a presidential campaign (one of the candidates being called "Old Kinderhook"), and finally was picked up by operators of the telegraph. Over the next century and a half, it established a firm toehold in the American lexicon, and eventually became embedded in pop culture, from the "I'm OK, You're OK" of 1970's transactional analysis, to Ned Flanders' absurd "Okeley Dokeley!" Indeed, OK became emblematic of a uniquely American attitude, and is one of our most successful global exports.
"An appealing and informative history of OK."
--Washington Post Book World
"After reading Metcalf's book, it's easy to accept his claim that OK is 'America's greatest word.'"
--Erin McKean, Boston Globe
"Entertaininga treat for logophiles."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Metcalf makes you acutely aware of how ubiquitous and vital the word has become."
--Jeremy McCarter, Newsweek
Download OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word ERUB
Download OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word DOC
Download OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word TXT
Read information about the author
Reviews of the OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word
JACK
Fun book for children and their parents
ROSIE
Despite the criticism, I liked the book!
ZACHARY
Why do you need to specify a phone?
EMILIA
This is a very predictable author. When you get a book for free, you can read it. The intrigue is present, the unbundling is clear.
Add a comment
Download EBOOK OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word by Allan Metcalf Online free
| PDF: | ok-the-improbable-story-of-americas-greatest-word.pdf |  |
| ERUB: | ok-the-improbable-story-of-americas-greatest-word.epub | |
| DOC: | ok-the-improbable-story-of-americas-greatest-word.doc | |
| TXT: | ok-the-improbable-story-of-americas-greatest-word.txt | |
Best Ebooks
Find a book
The book is really worthy of the bestseller!
Like Reply