Why do Greek lorries have Metaphorés written on the side? Is it grammatically correct to say 'the best team won' after a football match? What is the difference between manly, male, masculine and macho? Bringing together Peter Trudgill's highly popular columns for the New European, this fascinating collection explores how English has been influenced, both linguistically and culturally, by its neighbouring languages in Europe. English is very much a European language and Trudgill delves in to the rich linguistic legacy that links all European languages. The bite-sized pieces are grouped together in thematically arranged sections, to allow the reader to dip in and out at will, and cover a wide range of topics, from the etymology of words, to illuminating pieces on grammar. Written in an engaging and lively style, and full of intriguing facts about language and languages in Europe, this book will appeal to both language specialists and to general readers with no prior experience.

'Peter Trudgill's ability to present such a broad selection of topics in a scholarly and accessible way makes this book an ideal companion for anyone who wants to explore languages and how they work.' David Crystal, author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
'Peter Trudgill is one of the world's most eminent sociolinguists, and an outstanding ambassador for the subject within the wider community. His work over many years has transformed our understanding of the social functioning of speech. This collection of essays, originally written for a general audience, display his characteristic linking of accessibility, social commitment, and deep scholarship, and anyone who reads them, however expert, will learn a great deal.' Jeremy Smith, University of Glasgow
'… a treasure house offering one serendipitous adventure after another … Highly recommended.' A. P. Church, Choice Connect

Peter Trudgill is a theoretical dialectologist who is the author of Dialects in Contact (1986), Sociolinguistic Typology (2011) and Investigations in Sociohistorical Linguistics (2010). He has Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Uppsala, East Anglia, La Trobe, British Colombia, and Patras.