"It is an admirable introduction to the study of French vocabulary, providing undergraduates with an intelligent and comprehensive overview of the topic, which is at the same time concise, clear and student-friendly" Prof. R A Lodge, University of St Andrews "The wealth of fascinating information in his volume is presented in a very reader-friendly form. While adopting a systematic approach, it does full justice to the inventiveness of modern French. It should be useful, selective reading for all students of French, and essential reading for those specialising in language and linguistics." Professor Carol Sanders, University of SurreyKEY FEATURES- Uses easily-assimilated "textbite" as mode of presentation- Uncovers the ways in which French words "work"- Use of exercises and examples aids discussion of materialDESCRIPTIONUsing an original mode of presentation, the 'textbite', this book seeks to approach the French vocabulary from as many angles as possible - showing how French words are constructed, the difficulties inherent in defining a word, the relationships words enter into, their origins, and recent trends in word formation. Examples and exercises are provided throughout.CONTENTSIntroduction; Chapter 1. Words and their Constituent Parts; Chapter 2. Words; Chapter 3. French Words with a Long History; Chapter 4. French Words with a Foreign Origin; Chapter 5. Words with a Short History – Neologisms Conclusion; AppendixAUTHOR INFORMATIONMalcolm Offord is Reader in French at the University of Nottingham and has published a number of books and articles on the French language. His major publications include Using French: a Guide to Contemporary Usage (CUP) and Using French Synonyms (CUP), both co-authored with R.E. Batchelor, Varieties of Contemporary French (Macmillan), French Sociolinguistic Reader (Multilingual Matters).