Joop van der Horst

Joop van der Horst
History of language and print

Joop van der Horst is a professor of idiomatic history who has published extensively on the subject of language. In addition Van der Horst is widely known as a radio columnist and has contributed to the Dutch national radio station NOS for twenty years.

Books

The End of Standard Language - Het einde van de standaard taal

Rights sold to: Srednja Europa, Croatia

Complaints about bad spelling, appalling grammar, messy pronunciation, text message influenced language and borrowed words from foreign languages are abundant. When it comes to language much is changing. We definitely read and write differently to ten or twenty years ago. But the origins of our changing languages can be traced to 150 years ago, though signs may not have become evident until the 1970s. The end of standard language is both an insightful plea on the evolution of language as well as a concisely formulated history of written language and the printed word since the renaissance. The End of Standard Language reaches into examples from the entire western world and shows that this development is one that crosses borders of space and language.

 

PRESS

"An educational and stimulating read." Trouw

"Required reading for anyone interested in language and intrigued by its relationship with culture." Vrij Nederland

"Exceptionally vibrant history of written and printed language." Onze Taal

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