Press release

Shakin’ the Ketchup Bot’le

Thursday 20 November 2008

The Queen's English Society and the University of Buckingham Press (external link) celebrate the publication of Shakin' the Ketchup Bot'le. A party is being held on 20 November at the Medical Society in London to launch the latest publication from the Press.

Published in collaboration with the Queen's English Society this is a book for all those who love the language and who are amused by its lunacy, tickled by its inconsistencies but respect and want to preserve something of its majesty. It will make all readers entirely gruntled.

With pieces titled "The Chippie and the Polish Pilot", "Waffling Matilda", "English as she is spoke", "You calling my Egg Racist?", this entertaining and informative collection is culled from the pages of Quest, the Journal of the Queen's English Society. Illustrated by Nathan Ariss, it has a foreword by Gyles Brandreth who is head of the Society.

How can a slim chance and a fat chance mean the same? This is a book full of controversy or should that be controversy? It is about whether spelling matters said John Gilpin as he "rowed" his horse across the river.

When the English tongue we speak
Why is "break" not rhymed with "freak"?

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, two geese. So one loose tooth, two leese teeth?

In my dotage I've become
Inert, defunct, inane.
Oh, to be like yesteryear,
Ert, funct and ane again

The Queen's English Society promotes and upholds the use of good English and encourages enjoyment of the language. This collection, taken from Quest, contains some of the bits that the editors have enjoyed most over the years since its first publication. The English are known for their sense of humour and their ability to laugh at themselves whilst retaining a pride in their traditions. Perhaps the way that the English language can laugh at itself goes to the very heart of Englishness. But there is an important sub-text to all this amusement. The use of humour is the best way to illustrate and then learn the important lessons that are essential if we are to retain our ability to communicate clearly.

For more information please contact Christopher Woodhead
Christopher.woodhead@buckingham.ac.uk
University of Buckingham Press (external link)