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History in English Words
Owen Barfield's original and thought-provoking works over three-quarters of a century made him a legendary cult figure. History in English Words, his classic historical excursion through the English language, is now back in print after five years.
This popular book provides a brief, brilliant history of those who have spoken the Indo-European tongues. It is illustrated throughout by current English words—whose derivation from other languages, whose history in use and changes of meaning—record and unlock the larger history.
"In our language alone, not to speak of its many companions, the past history of humanity is spread out in an imperishable map, just as the history of the mineral earth lies embedded in the layers of its outer crust.... Language has preserved for us the inner, living history of our soul. It reveals the evolution of consciousness" (Owen Barfield).
About the Author:
Owen Barfield (1898-1997), British philosopher and critic, has been called the "First and Last Inkling" because of his influential and enduring role in the group known as the Oxford Inklings, which included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams. It was Barfield who first advanced the ideas about language, myth, and belief that became identified with the thought and art of the Inklings. He is the author of numerous books, including Poetic Diction; Romanticism Comes of Age; Unancestoral Voice; History, Guilt, and Habit; and Worlds Apart, as well as works of fiction and poetry. His history of the evolution of human consciousness, Saving the Appearances: A Study in Idolatry, achieved a place in the list of the "100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century."
This popular book provides a brief, brilliant history of those who have spoken the Indo-European tongues. It is illustrated throughout by current English words—whose derivation from other languages, whose history in use and changes of meaning—record and unlock the larger history.
"In our language alone, not to speak of its many companions, the past history of humanity is spread out in an imperishable map, just as the history of the mineral earth lies embedded in the layers of its outer crust.... Language has preserved for us the inner, living history of our soul. It reveals the evolution of consciousness" (Owen Barfield).
About the Author:
Owen Barfield (1898-1997), British philosopher and critic, has been called the "First and Last Inkling" because of his influential and enduring role in the group known as the Oxford Inklings, which included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams. It was Barfield who first advanced the ideas about language, myth, and belief that became identified with the thought and art of the Inklings. He is the author of numerous books, including Poetic Diction; Romanticism Comes of Age; Unancestoral Voice; History, Guilt, and Habit; and Worlds Apart, as well as works of fiction and poetry. His history of the evolution of human consciousness, Saving the Appearances: A Study in Idolatry, achieved a place in the list of the "100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century."
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
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About the author
Owen Barfield
71 books176 followersArthur Owen Barfield was a British philosopher, author, poet, and critic.
Barfield was born in London. He was educated at Highgate School and Wadham College, Oxford and in 1920 received a first class degree in English language and literature. After finishing his B. Litt., which became his third book Poetic Diction, he was a dedicated poet and author for over ten years. After 1934 his profession was as a solicitor in London, from which he retired in 1959 aged 60. Thereafter he had many guest appointments as Visiting Professor in North America. Barfield published numerous essays, books, and articles. His primary focus was on what he called the "evolution of consciousness," which is an idea which occurs frequently in his writings. He is best known as a founding father of Anthroposophy in the English speaking world.
Barfield has been known as "the first and last Inkling". He had a profound influence on C. S. Lewis, and through his books The Silver Trumpet and Poetic Diction (dedicated to C.S. Lewis), an appreciable effect on J. R. R. Tolkien. Lewis was a good friend of Barfield since 1919, and termed Barfield "the best and wisest of my unofficial teachers". That Barfield did not consider philosophy merely intellectually is illustrated by a well-known interchange that took place between Lewis and Barfield. Lewis one day made the mistake of referring to philosophy as "a subject." "It wasn't a subject to Plato," said Barfield, "It was a way." Lewis refers to Barfield as the "Second Friend" in Surprised by Joy:
Barfield and C. S. Lewis met in 1919 and were close friends for 44 years. Barfield was instrumental in converting Lewis to theism during the early period of their friendship which they affectionately called 'The Great War'. Maud also guided Lewis. As well as being friend and teacher to Lewis, Barfield was his legal adviser and trustee. Lewis dedicated his 1936 book Allegory of Love to Barfield. Lewis wrote his 1949 book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for Lucy Barfield and he dedicated The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to Geoffrey in 1952.
Barfield was born in London. He was educated at Highgate School and Wadham College, Oxford and in 1920 received a first class degree in English language and literature. After finishing his B. Litt., which became his third book Poetic Diction, he was a dedicated poet and author for over ten years. After 1934 his profession was as a solicitor in London, from which he retired in 1959 aged 60. Thereafter he had many guest appointments as Visiting Professor in North America. Barfield published numerous essays, books, and articles. His primary focus was on what he called the "evolution of consciousness," which is an idea which occurs frequently in his writings. He is best known as a founding father of Anthroposophy in the English speaking world.
Barfield has been known as "the first and last Inkling". He had a profound influence on C. S. Lewis, and through his books The Silver Trumpet and Poetic Diction (dedicated to C.S. Lewis), an appreciable effect on J. R. R. Tolkien. Lewis was a good friend of Barfield since 1919, and termed Barfield "the best and wisest of my unofficial teachers". That Barfield did not consider philosophy merely intellectually is illustrated by a well-known interchange that took place between Lewis and Barfield. Lewis one day made the mistake of referring to philosophy as "a subject." "It wasn't a subject to Plato," said Barfield, "It was a way." Lewis refers to Barfield as the "Second Friend" in Surprised by Joy:
But the Second Friend is the man who disagrees with you about everything. He is not so much the alter ego as the antiself. Of course he shares your interests; otherwise he would not become your friend at all. But he has approached them all at a different angle. He has read all the right books but has got the wrong thing out of every one. It is as if he spoke your language but mispronounced it. How can he be so nearly right and yet, invariably, just not right?
Barfield and C. S. Lewis met in 1919 and were close friends for 44 years. Barfield was instrumental in converting Lewis to theism during the early period of their friendship which they affectionately called 'The Great War'. Maud also guided Lewis. As well as being friend and teacher to Lewis, Barfield was his legal adviser and trustee. Lewis dedicated his 1936 book Allegory of Love to Barfield. Lewis wrote his 1949 book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for Lucy Barfield and he dedicated The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to Geoffrey in 1952.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
October 26, 2016
The first statement on this book should be: if you want to be a writer, or a thinker, you should read this book. If I was teaching a class on nearly any subject, from carpentry to coding to creative writing, I would assign this book. It will clarify your ideas and help strain out muddled misconceptions. In almost any field, one would be a better thinker, student, and practitioner after reading.
Just think: there are people out there who will read Foucault, slog through Derrida, and skip Barfield entirely. Unacceptable. If you're still not convinced of its importance, try this review: https://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/...
I just re-read it for the fourth time, after forcing it upon my fellow book club members. If I can keep on track I'll share our collective thoughts after our meeting.
For now: Owen Barfield is an underrated Inkling and an underrated thinker. I was startled by the review accusing him of being a maverick relativist: wait, what? Everything here fits neatly with his Steiner-influenced philosophy, outlined in Saving the Appearances, regarding Original and Final Participation.
It took me two times through StA to understand Original and Final Participation. It was in 2012, and a cloud lifted from my shoulders. Conflicting devotions had torn me in two for a very long time; Barfield reconciled everything. I can only recommend reading it, as many times as necessary.
HiEW is beautiful and wonderful however you approach it. If you care for words, you will love it. If you care for history, you will appreciate it. Here is a rich, textured, layered door through which to approach language. Understand isn't the right word; we're not here to conquer and command, but to show loyalty and love. The English language deserves both.
Just think: there are people out there who will read Foucault, slog through Derrida, and skip Barfield entirely. Unacceptable. If you're still not convinced of its importance, try this review: https://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/...
I just re-read it for the fourth time, after forcing it upon my fellow book club members. If I can keep on track I'll share our collective thoughts after our meeting.
For now: Owen Barfield is an underrated Inkling and an underrated thinker. I was startled by the review accusing him of being a maverick relativist: wait, what? Everything here fits neatly with his Steiner-influenced philosophy, outlined in Saving the Appearances, regarding Original and Final Participation.
It took me two times through StA to understand Original and Final Participation. It was in 2012, and a cloud lifted from my shoulders. Conflicting devotions had torn me in two for a very long time; Barfield reconciled everything. I can only recommend reading it, as many times as necessary.
HiEW is beautiful and wonderful however you approach it. If you care for words, you will love it. If you care for history, you will appreciate it. Here is a rich, textured, layered door through which to approach language. Understand isn't the right word; we're not here to conquer and command, but to show loyalty and love. The English language deserves both.
February 26, 2024
3.5 stars
I know next to nothing about linguistics and have never had an easy way with languages, but I have to say that despite this deficit I have become more and more fascinated by the question of how language intersects with cognition. I know at least the basics of concepts like the Sapir Whorf hypothesis and while I don’t think I concur with the deterministic relationship between language and thought that that theory posits I do think that our linguistic heritage plays a large part in the way we perceive the world. Of course, language, if it is a living one, is constantly changing so it would appear equally likely that our perceptions and beliefs that result from it might be just as mutable.
All this to say that I guess I am in the camp that believes that human consciousness and perceptions have changed over time and that it is possible that as much has been lost as gained by the ‘progress’ of society. Given this opinion I think language, and a knowledge of its history and change, holds a unique key for understanding older modes of thought. Language is at once both a living and changing expression of human beliefs and ideas and, when you dig a little deeper into meanings and derivations, an artifact of ancient beliefs and perceptions. I think this is why I have not only gravitated towards historical fiction in my reading in recent years, but that I am very picky in the books I choose to read since I look for those that attempt to recreate the modes of thought and manners of previous eras, as opposed to those that merely like to play anachronistic dress-up with more modern sensibilities.
Owen Barfield, perhaps the least know of the Inklings, takes on this subject head-on with his _History in English words_. Sharing ideas with his more famous _Poetic Diction_, in this volume Barfield expostulates on “…the impenetrable fringe of that mysterious no-man’s-land which lies between words and their meanings.”(177) In the first half of the book Barfield traces the Aryan (or Proto-Indo-European) migrations as exemplified in/by linguistic shifts and developments with emphasis on some key words with and obvious concentration on the growth and development of the branches of the English language and nation. I imagine that this is as good a place as any to note that elements of Barfield’s argument here seem sometimes dated. I hate the word “problematic” given its blatant overuse and air of holier-than-thou judginess, but I can’t help but feel compelled to invoke the word at certain elements of the book. At the very least it can be said to be a work of its time, drawing problematic conclusions such as the combination of ‘Teutonic blood’ and Christianity as “the two great streams of humanity”, and (perhaps accurately) seeing feminism as a modern & foreign intrusion into the fundamentally ‘male and logical’ Aryan belief system. I will stress that Barfield does discuss the use (or more accurately mis-use) of the word Aryan by the Nazis and tried to distance the term from their eugenic theories of purity, but his perspective is still not one that I would consider modern, freighted as it is with his obvious nationalism and cultural pride. The second half of the book enunciates the ways in which specific word and language meanings (and changes to them) had an impact on key areas of thought such as “myth”, “philosophy and religion”, “personality and reason”, and “imagination” amongst others.
Barfield sees language as a hallmark of the development and change of human nature and perceptions ultimately resulting in the emergence of the concept of the individual, along with a sense of ‘progressive history’ as seen in the change of usage, and meaning, in specific words and phrases. This is in contrast to earlier modes of thought and perception in which he argues that humans were more in tune with their environment, seeing themselves as part of the greater cosmos, actors on the stage of life instead of the “authors and spectators” of the modern era. Even this idea of “modern” vs “ancient”, Barfield argues, is a ‘modern’ concept, one of the hallmarks of a fundamental shift in perceptions. He sees in human history a movement to internalize motivations and ‘influences’ as being generated by the human mind itself as opposed to by external ones such as gods, Nature, or the stars, or, as Barfield puts it: “It is the shifting of the centre of gravity of consciousness from the cosmos around him into the personal human being himself.”(171)
In essence, Barfield sets out to explicate an ‘objective’ theory of language that I find equal parts compelling and implausible. I think I want to believe in these linguistic ideas more than I actually do…but more thought is needed especially given that I am only a neophyte (if even that) in linguistic and cultural studies.
I know next to nothing about linguistics and have never had an easy way with languages, but I have to say that despite this deficit I have become more and more fascinated by the question of how language intersects with cognition. I know at least the basics of concepts like the Sapir Whorf hypothesis and while I don’t think I concur with the deterministic relationship between language and thought that that theory posits I do think that our linguistic heritage plays a large part in the way we perceive the world. Of course, language, if it is a living one, is constantly changing so it would appear equally likely that our perceptions and beliefs that result from it might be just as mutable.
All this to say that I guess I am in the camp that believes that human consciousness and perceptions have changed over time and that it is possible that as much has been lost as gained by the ‘progress’ of society. Given this opinion I think language, and a knowledge of its history and change, holds a unique key for understanding older modes of thought. Language is at once both a living and changing expression of human beliefs and ideas and, when you dig a little deeper into meanings and derivations, an artifact of ancient beliefs and perceptions. I think this is why I have not only gravitated towards historical fiction in my reading in recent years, but that I am very picky in the books I choose to read since I look for those that attempt to recreate the modes of thought and manners of previous eras, as opposed to those that merely like to play anachronistic dress-up with more modern sensibilities.
Owen Barfield, perhaps the least know of the Inklings, takes on this subject head-on with his _History in English words_. Sharing ideas with his more famous _Poetic Diction_, in this volume Barfield expostulates on “…the impenetrable fringe of that mysterious no-man’s-land which lies between words and their meanings.”(177) In the first half of the book Barfield traces the Aryan (or Proto-Indo-European) migrations as exemplified in/by linguistic shifts and developments with emphasis on some key words with and obvious concentration on the growth and development of the branches of the English language and nation. I imagine that this is as good a place as any to note that elements of Barfield’s argument here seem sometimes dated. I hate the word “problematic” given its blatant overuse and air of holier-than-thou judginess, but I can’t help but feel compelled to invoke the word at certain elements of the book. At the very least it can be said to be a work of its time, drawing problematic conclusions such as the combination of ‘Teutonic blood’ and Christianity as “the two great streams of humanity”, and (perhaps accurately) seeing feminism as a modern & foreign intrusion into the fundamentally ‘male and logical’ Aryan belief system. I will stress that Barfield does discuss the use (or more accurately mis-use) of the word Aryan by the Nazis and tried to distance the term from their eugenic theories of purity, but his perspective is still not one that I would consider modern, freighted as it is with his obvious nationalism and cultural pride. The second half of the book enunciates the ways in which specific word and language meanings (and changes to them) had an impact on key areas of thought such as “myth”, “philosophy and religion”, “personality and reason”, and “imagination” amongst others.
Barfield sees language as a hallmark of the development and change of human nature and perceptions ultimately resulting in the emergence of the concept of the individual, along with a sense of ‘progressive history’ as seen in the change of usage, and meaning, in specific words and phrases. This is in contrast to earlier modes of thought and perception in which he argues that humans were more in tune with their environment, seeing themselves as part of the greater cosmos, actors on the stage of life instead of the “authors and spectators” of the modern era. Even this idea of “modern” vs “ancient”, Barfield argues, is a ‘modern’ concept, one of the hallmarks of a fundamental shift in perceptions. He sees in human history a movement to internalize motivations and ‘influences’ as being generated by the human mind itself as opposed to by external ones such as gods, Nature, or the stars, or, as Barfield puts it: “It is the shifting of the centre of gravity of consciousness from the cosmos around him into the personal human being himself.”(171)
In essence, Barfield sets out to explicate an ‘objective’ theory of language that I find equal parts compelling and implausible. I think I want to believe in these linguistic ideas more than I actually do…but more thought is needed especially given that I am only a neophyte (if even that) in linguistic and cultural studies.
August 17, 2015
This is a preeminently readable book of etymology, written by Owen Barfield, friend of C.S. Lewis. This book is not just an isolated series of word histories, but it is also tied in with history history, if that makes sense. Barfield was massively learned.
Want to read
May 29, 2021Christmas-y excerpt here (a paragraph toward the end of Ch. 6: "Philosophy and Religion").
October 12, 2017
I have found a beautiful book, and I want to share it with you. Indulge me.
Owen Barfield, an Oxford graduate who loves language even more than I love it, wrote History in English Words in 1953. In his Foreword, W. H. Auden calls this delicate, powerful work “a weapon in the unending battle between civilisation and barbarism.” All foes of barbarism should procure a copy immediately.
This is not an easy read, but it’s easy to keep reading it. Barfield brings his remarkable erudition to nearly every page; the reader learns much about words—in English, Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and the Indo-European protolanguage—and learns much about history, philosophy, religion, literature, culture, mind and the deep structures of consciously human society. I’m not kidding. This book is unique in my experience.
Here’s a casual teaser:
“…it has been said that there are more [new words] in Shakespeare’s plays than in all the rest of the English poets put together.”
Examples of the Bard’s imagination:
advantageous, amazement, critic, dishearten, dwindle, generous, invulnerable, majestic, obscene, pedant, pious, radiance, reliance, sanctimonious
Throughout 240 pages, Barfield implicitly emphasizes a dynamic point: new words are created continuously in all languages by all peoples, and old words continuously acquire new meanings in all cultures.
The way we think and express our thoughts and feelings today could not have been done—in the fullness of our modern meanings and understandings—as little as 100 years ago.
Take a minute and speak three carefully considered sentences about three topics that you think are important or exciting. Almost certainly, no human being has ever before experienced your exact thought processes and used precisely your words to express them.
Spread the word.
Read more of my book reviews on my website
http://richardsubber.com/
Owen Barfield, an Oxford graduate who loves language even more than I love it, wrote History in English Words in 1953. In his Foreword, W. H. Auden calls this delicate, powerful work “a weapon in the unending battle between civilisation and barbarism.” All foes of barbarism should procure a copy immediately.
This is not an easy read, but it’s easy to keep reading it. Barfield brings his remarkable erudition to nearly every page; the reader learns much about words—in English, Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and the Indo-European protolanguage—and learns much about history, philosophy, religion, literature, culture, mind and the deep structures of consciously human society. I’m not kidding. This book is unique in my experience.
Here’s a casual teaser:
“…it has been said that there are more [new words] in Shakespeare’s plays than in all the rest of the English poets put together.”
Examples of the Bard’s imagination:
advantageous, amazement, critic, dishearten, dwindle, generous, invulnerable, majestic, obscene, pedant, pious, radiance, reliance, sanctimonious
Throughout 240 pages, Barfield implicitly emphasizes a dynamic point: new words are created continuously in all languages by all peoples, and old words continuously acquire new meanings in all cultures.
The way we think and express our thoughts and feelings today could not have been done—in the fullness of our modern meanings and understandings—as little as 100 years ago.
Take a minute and speak three carefully considered sentences about three topics that you think are important or exciting. Almost certainly, no human being has ever before experienced your exact thought processes and used precisely your words to express them.
Spread the word.
Read more of my book reviews on my website
http://richardsubber.com/
September 22, 2009
Barfield was the writer about language all the poets went to back in the day (note the intro by Auden). His book Poetic Diction is considered important, although ten years ago when I tackled it I found it above me. History in English Words, however, it terrific. This is not the usual Funny English Word Origins books that you see in the discount area at Barnes & Noble (nothing wrong with these, they just tend to be rather disjointed one-word-at-a-time things). Barfield shows, for the layperson, just exactly how the English language grew and how certain aspects of its growth were so important to the language’s power and suppleness. The chapter on how the Church schoolmen – those bearded scholars we all like to jeer at now for wanting to know how many angels can dance on the head of a pin – were so important in enriching the language, inventing, basically, words to express areas of human thought and feeling that were altogether new to western culture. Think “passion,” “conscience” “individual” for instance. These words did not exist in the way we mean them now in Latin or Greek. This process of constant addition and enrichment is to me a very moving story. This book is worth seeking out.
June 7, 2009
If you have a perspective (or can gain one) from an English reader from England, this book will be easier to grasp than if you maintain a purely American perspective. It is a fascinating study of how history has developed from the adoption (and adaptation) of words into the English language. It is a word study so it is not designed with a compelling plot (though the course of human history is a fairly compelling story) adn there is detail that could be considreed tedious but, if you enjoy learning about words, this is a wonderful little book.
March 18, 2023
Beautifully done.
I am thinking over the progression of 'internalization' that Barfield outlines. Some are alarmed by this tendency in the history of world concept. I believe I have found a new appreciation for the 'romantics', however, in his proposition of romanticism as a long incubated and rightful reinstatement of the mysteries - the mythos. Dreaming dreams in the latter days.
I am thinking over the progression of 'internalization' that Barfield outlines. Some are alarmed by this tendency in the history of world concept. I believe I have found a new appreciation for the 'romantics', however, in his proposition of romanticism as a long incubated and rightful reinstatement of the mysteries - the mythos. Dreaming dreams in the latter days.
June 30, 2018
Adored every chapter. A must read for any student of English history or language!
September 10, 2025
This is a great introduction to an amazing mind. Owen Barfield (The first and last Inkling) had profound insights into language and how people perceive the world. This book is a delightful journey through time by studying how the English language came to be. It is much easier to digest than Barfield’s other works.
I used to be disgusted with the English language. Who can keep track of all the variations of rules on pronunciation or spelling? But Barfield showed me we are the recipients of hundreds of years of work to craft this language that now has words for so many objects and concepts. I’m rather in awe of English now, and have a higher respect for the shoulders we stand upon.
Toward the end of the book, Barfield builds upon all he has shared to help the reader understand the shift in perception from ancient times to now. Those insights alone are worth reading. Yet they come as icing on a cake well worth the eating.
I used to be disgusted with the English language. Who can keep track of all the variations of rules on pronunciation or spelling? But Barfield showed me we are the recipients of hundreds of years of work to craft this language that now has words for so many objects and concepts. I’m rather in awe of English now, and have a higher respect for the shoulders we stand upon.
Toward the end of the book, Barfield builds upon all he has shared to help the reader understand the shift in perception from ancient times to now. Those insights alone are worth reading. Yet they come as icing on a cake well worth the eating.
Read
January 9, 2024Mixed feelings here. There are many linguistic insights that I enjoyed, but as the book goes on it becomes repetitive and suffers from a lack of focus. I also can't stand to read a delusional Christian blab on about religion and spirituality. Although it was interesting to realize that Christianity ripped off all of its central ideas from Greek Mystery cults. Weird stuff.
February 21, 2022
My expectations for this book could have not been higher and yet it still met and exceeded them. Very interesting book!
October 8, 2013
I wish I had read this book earlier. Throughout all my reading of Owen Barfield, I wanted to know more about the philology that shaped his thoughts. I got a taste of that in Poetic Diction, but that was more about how poets use words than the words themselves. He always asserted that we could trace history through words but I only got glimpses of exactly how. History in English Words, then, shows how. It is a story of how words have changed, sometimes even flipping their meanings, and Barfield has an idea or two as to why they changed in that way.
Like most of Barfield, it has its pedantic or frustratingly obtuse moments but is at least five-sixths brilliant. This may be the best book to start on for someone looking to get into his work (perhaps this is for the historians, while Poetic Diction is for the poets?). There's one chapter in which he goes on about the stifling early church authorities in a manner that shows why C.S. Lewis and Barfield had their tiffs. Lewis would never take the Gnostic gospels as seriously as Barfield. Then there's the last chapter which sounds almost exactly like Tolkien's famous Fairy Stories writings at points. Tolkien fans, make sure to stick around for that last chapter.
If nothing else, this shows what you can do with an Oxford English Dictionary and a passion for words. Now that we have the technology to test some of these assertions about how, when, and why words changed to a degree unthinkable in Barfield's time, I think this little book could provide several theses's worth of hypotheses that Google lit searches could illuminate. I would like to see where Barfield's wrong, mostly because I have a hunch that more often than not he's right, and if so, then he's onto something. I'd like to trust but verify, and this book is about the original data Barfield's working from, so this has inside it a way to reproduce his assertions. Do words really internalize over time, swtiching from us being worked upon to us doing the working? Are Roman words really as external/concrete as Greek words are internal/abstract? What kind of shifts in meaning did the Septuagint's translation of Hebrew scriptures into Greek force upon the Second-Temple thought and theology? So many questions, so little time.
The limiting reagent for me is the time. And the knowledge. And the background. And ... let's stop there before I delete this post in despair.
At any rate, this book will let you see depths and layers of meaning in most every word you see (and choose to use). If sitting in a Philology class taught by Barfield sounds like a good idea to you, don't wait for the MOOC. Read the book.
Like most of Barfield, it has its pedantic or frustratingly obtuse moments but is at least five-sixths brilliant. This may be the best book to start on for someone looking to get into his work (perhaps this is for the historians, while Poetic Diction is for the poets?). There's one chapter in which he goes on about the stifling early church authorities in a manner that shows why C.S. Lewis and Barfield had their tiffs. Lewis would never take the Gnostic gospels as seriously as Barfield. Then there's the last chapter which sounds almost exactly like Tolkien's famous Fairy Stories writings at points. Tolkien fans, make sure to stick around for that last chapter.
If nothing else, this shows what you can do with an Oxford English Dictionary and a passion for words. Now that we have the technology to test some of these assertions about how, when, and why words changed to a degree unthinkable in Barfield's time, I think this little book could provide several theses's worth of hypotheses that Google lit searches could illuminate. I would like to see where Barfield's wrong, mostly because I have a hunch that more often than not he's right, and if so, then he's onto something. I'd like to trust but verify, and this book is about the original data Barfield's working from, so this has inside it a way to reproduce his assertions. Do words really internalize over time, swtiching from us being worked upon to us doing the working? Are Roman words really as external/concrete as Greek words are internal/abstract? What kind of shifts in meaning did the Septuagint's translation of Hebrew scriptures into Greek force upon the Second-Temple thought and theology? So many questions, so little time.
The limiting reagent for me is the time. And the knowledge. And the background. And ... let's stop there before I delete this post in despair.
At any rate, this book will let you see depths and layers of meaning in most every word you see (and choose to use). If sitting in a Philology class taught by Barfield sounds like a good idea to you, don't wait for the MOOC. Read the book.
November 2, 2015
This is a tricky book to rate. I quite liked it but it has some problems, most of which it shares with aspects of Tolkien's "On Fairy-Stories" and "Mythopoeia" (Tree and Leaf) and C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy.
Barfield traces the development of the Indo-European mindset through explication of the etymologies of choice word groups--first geographically with a focus on England, then conceptually. His thesis is that the history of this language group "is the shifting of the centre of gravity of consciousness from the cosmos around him into the personal human being himself."
Clearly, Barfield is in agreement with his friends that the mythological has been unfairly abused by the scientific or rational mindset, particularly since the 19th century. I don't necessarily disagree with this assessment but, like Tolkien and Lewis, implicit in his argument is the idea that the mythological can and should be on par with (or superior to) the rational. I don't think this position is tenable. Barfield writes:
Barfield does not seem to recognize that this is an unequal comparison. For while science has explicitly demonstrated the failings of Platonism when it attempts empirically-verifiable assertions, the best Barfield can offer for evidence of science's "bankruptcy" is his dissatisfaction with it.
If Barfield and friends offer up imaginative fiction as a compliment to science, an Hegelian compromise between the Platonic and "mechanic" outlooks, then fine. Instead, the above sentiment (and others I could quote from Tolkien and Lewis) belie such a desire.
Barfield traces the development of the Indo-European mindset through explication of the etymologies of choice word groups--first geographically with a focus on England, then conceptually. His thesis is that the history of this language group "is the shifting of the centre of gravity of consciousness from the cosmos around him into the personal human being himself."
Clearly, Barfield is in agreement with his friends that the mythological has been unfairly abused by the scientific or rational mindset, particularly since the 19th century. I don't necessarily disagree with this assessment but, like Tolkien and Lewis, implicit in his argument is the idea that the mythological can and should be on par with (or superior to) the rational. I don't think this position is tenable. Barfield writes:
Plato had deduced the sense-world from what we have called the inner world, and [...] his philosophy had remained admittedly bankrupt as far as detailed knowledge of the mechanism of the outer world was concerned. Nineteenth-century science, on the other hand, deduced the inner from the outer [...], but was wellnigh bankrupt as far as the inner world was concerned.
Barfield does not seem to recognize that this is an unequal comparison. For while science has explicitly demonstrated the failings of Platonism when it attempts empirically-verifiable assertions, the best Barfield can offer for evidence of science's "bankruptcy" is his dissatisfaction with it.
These 'romantic' notions might be absurd, but they were at least pleasant. 'We do not care for seeing through the falsehood,' wrote Addison, 'and willingly give ourselves up to so agreeable an imposture.'
If Barfield and friends offer up imaginative fiction as a compliment to science, an Hegelian compromise between the Platonic and "mechanic" outlooks, then fine. Instead, the above sentiment (and others I could quote from Tolkien and Lewis) belie such a desire.
August 31, 2016
*3.5 stars*
Barfield gets a little out of his depth in moments when he strays from etymology to answering why words changed meaning. Other than those few moments of confusion or combination of sources, this book is worth reading for those interested in language and its history.
Barfield gets a little out of his depth in moments when he strays from etymology to answering why words changed meaning. Other than those few moments of confusion or combination of sources, this book is worth reading for those interested in language and its history.
February 14, 2022
A fascinating walk through history as seen in English words. Barfield breaks down a sampling of words in each chapter to show their usage and definition reflected the discoveries, beliefs and values of that time, and how they've changed to their current usage (or close to it, he wrote mid- to late-twentieth century). It's a valuable reminder that the way words are understood has changed drastically.
When we read a "familiar" word written 100 years ago, there is a significant question of whether the author was using it as we would use it today. "Automatic" was one that struck me (from Barfield's examples), as even a century ago, there was still an "organic" sense to the word, being used to describe an action done without conscious thought such as breathing or the pumping of the heart. But today, "automatic" primarily has a mechanical association. The difference of association between organic and mechanical is worlds apart in the ways it's used in practice.
It is hard to grasp the import of this truth, but I believe it's even more important today when words are misused, abused, and twisted. In a cross-cultural context, we understand and are taught that those in another country/culture/language are not like us. But when we speak the "same" language we abandon the courtesy and foundational understanding that our worldviews are different, and assume instead we know what the other means, leading to miscommunication. Whether across time or simply across the room, just because we speak one language does not mean we can assume communication. Rather, giving the benefit of the doubt and seeking to understand what is meant when something is said allows room for true communication.
When we read a "familiar" word written 100 years ago, there is a significant question of whether the author was using it as we would use it today. "Automatic" was one that struck me (from Barfield's examples), as even a century ago, there was still an "organic" sense to the word, being used to describe an action done without conscious thought such as breathing or the pumping of the heart. But today, "automatic" primarily has a mechanical association. The difference of association between organic and mechanical is worlds apart in the ways it's used in practice.
It is hard to grasp the import of this truth, but I believe it's even more important today when words are misused, abused, and twisted. In a cross-cultural context, we understand and are taught that those in another country/culture/language are not like us. But when we speak the "same" language we abandon the courtesy and foundational understanding that our worldviews are different, and assume instead we know what the other means, leading to miscommunication. Whether across time or simply across the room, just because we speak one language does not mean we can assume communication. Rather, giving the benefit of the doubt and seeking to understand what is meant when something is said allows room for true communication.
August 5, 2019
Though much lesser known than Tolkien, the importance of Owen Barfield's writing is powerfully attested to by Verlyn Flieger in her Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World.
My review of a Mark Vernon's new book about Barfield, A Secret History of Christianity, is on A Pilgrim in Narnia. But I've been doing some background reading while I was working on that...
A number of people recommended that the place to start reading Barfield is with his History in English Words, so I duly read it after his Saving the Appearances, Poetic Diction, and lots of the essays available on the website dedicated to his work. History is a little more accessible--still forbiddingly erudite and fruitily British, which is a combination which won't be for everyone, but there is a wealth of interesting connections to marvel at if you can get into it. The foreword by Auden, which speaks of a "battle between civilization and barbarism," and the footnotes about the use of the term Aryan are still a little off-putting, and by the end of the book, I wasn't quite clear about what the ramifications of the study of philology were supposed to be. Is it for the benefit of the individual or the society to think a little harder about the language? I wasn't sure what I was being asked to do with all this, aside from taking Barfield up on his suggestions for further reading (OED, Max Muller, Pearsall Smith, Bradley, Weekly, Skeat).
My review of a Mark Vernon's new book about Barfield, A Secret History of Christianity, is on A Pilgrim in Narnia. But I've been doing some background reading while I was working on that...
A number of people recommended that the place to start reading Barfield is with his History in English Words, so I duly read it after his Saving the Appearances, Poetic Diction, and lots of the essays available on the website dedicated to his work. History is a little more accessible--still forbiddingly erudite and fruitily British, which is a combination which won't be for everyone, but there is a wealth of interesting connections to marvel at if you can get into it. The foreword by Auden, which speaks of a "battle between civilization and barbarism," and the footnotes about the use of the term Aryan are still a little off-putting, and by the end of the book, I wasn't quite clear about what the ramifications of the study of philology were supposed to be. Is it for the benefit of the individual or the society to think a little harder about the language? I wasn't sure what I was being asked to do with all this, aside from taking Barfield up on his suggestions for further reading (OED, Max Muller, Pearsall Smith, Bradley, Weekly, Skeat).
July 23, 2018
The book I read is from 1926, first edition, and I was initially a bit put off by the use of words that now have strong connotations--largely negative ones--that would have been more neutral in 1926 (ie, Aryan, etc). A post-WWII worldview has changed the language; but that is exactly what Barfield suggests in this book, so after thinking about that I renewed my reading with a different frame of mind: a frame that says language tells us a lot about our history.
Barfield delights in metaphors and analogies, which may make his text feel rather old-fashioned (well--it is!) to some readers. I liked it, however, and often found him funny.
It may interest some folks to know Barfield was a contemporary and friend of Tolkien, CS Lewis--he was among the "Inklings." He doesn't cite his sources in the contemporary manner--he was a scholar in his time and this is just a take-my-word-for-it account in some ways. Current linguistic theory has cast a bit of doubt on some of his claims, but the book is fun anyway, and still relevant in its assertion that society and technical innovations and conquests and warfare and religion and pretty much everything get encoded into language.
Barfield delights in metaphors and analogies, which may make his text feel rather old-fashioned (well--it is!) to some readers. I liked it, however, and often found him funny.
It may interest some folks to know Barfield was a contemporary and friend of Tolkien, CS Lewis--he was among the "Inklings." He doesn't cite his sources in the contemporary manner--he was a scholar in his time and this is just a take-my-word-for-it account in some ways. Current linguistic theory has cast a bit of doubt on some of his claims, but the book is fun anyway, and still relevant in its assertion that society and technical innovations and conquests and warfare and religion and pretty much everything get encoded into language.
September 16, 2021
Blurb
For more than three-quarters of a century, Owen Barfield produced original and thought-provoking works that made him a legendary cult figure. History in English Words is his classic excursion into history through the English language. This popular book provides a brief, brilliant history of the various peoples who have spoken the Indo-European tongues. It is illustrated throughout by current English words whose derivation from other languages, and whose history in use and changes of meaning, record and unlock the larger history. “In our language alone, not to speak of its many companions, the past history of humanity is spread out in an imperishable map, just as the history of the mineral earth lies embedded in the layers of its outer crust.... Language has preserved for us the inner, living history of our soul. It reveals the evolution of consciousness” —Owen Barfield.
My Review
Owen Barfield wrote this book in the 1950s, but as it deals with the way words have come down to us through the ages, it remains relevant to this day.
This fascinating book takes us through the history of words. Barfield begins with the Greek and Latin words that have been incorporated into our language, and the changes that have come about in them. He then goes on to discuss how we can trace the travels of many peoples across Europe by looking at the way words have changed, and the words that were in common use.
I find it impossible to distill what Barfield is saying in a few words. It took him a whole book! But it shows how people’s thoughts and perceptions developed through the ages.
This book is a valuable handbook for those of us who write historical fiction. It tells when various words came into use, thus helping us not to write about clocks striking before they were invented, or as is said in the forward, writing about Dr Johnson (of dictionary fame) speaking on the telephone.
Those are obvious things, but there are words that we use today that are fairly modern.
An example is found in the words, pity, gentle and mercy.
Pity comes from ‘pietas’, meaning piety, gentle, from ‘gentilis’, meaning of the same family, or later, of noble birth, while mercy comes from ‘merces’, a reward, probably later, a reward in heaven for good works on Earth.
None of these words were known before the 13th century, so in a Viking Saga, a writer should not use them. This applies to many other words, as well as the obvious ones coming from scientific research, and show how human thinking has developed throughout the ages.
This is not an easy read, but a fascinating one, nonetheless. I give it 5*
For more than three-quarters of a century, Owen Barfield produced original and thought-provoking works that made him a legendary cult figure. History in English Words is his classic excursion into history through the English language. This popular book provides a brief, brilliant history of the various peoples who have spoken the Indo-European tongues. It is illustrated throughout by current English words whose derivation from other languages, and whose history in use and changes of meaning, record and unlock the larger history. “In our language alone, not to speak of its many companions, the past history of humanity is spread out in an imperishable map, just as the history of the mineral earth lies embedded in the layers of its outer crust.... Language has preserved for us the inner, living history of our soul. It reveals the evolution of consciousness” —Owen Barfield.
My Review
Owen Barfield wrote this book in the 1950s, but as it deals with the way words have come down to us through the ages, it remains relevant to this day.
This fascinating book takes us through the history of words. Barfield begins with the Greek and Latin words that have been incorporated into our language, and the changes that have come about in them. He then goes on to discuss how we can trace the travels of many peoples across Europe by looking at the way words have changed, and the words that were in common use.
I find it impossible to distill what Barfield is saying in a few words. It took him a whole book! But it shows how people’s thoughts and perceptions developed through the ages.
This book is a valuable handbook for those of us who write historical fiction. It tells when various words came into use, thus helping us not to write about clocks striking before they were invented, or as is said in the forward, writing about Dr Johnson (of dictionary fame) speaking on the telephone.
Those are obvious things, but there are words that we use today that are fairly modern.
An example is found in the words, pity, gentle and mercy.
Pity comes from ‘pietas’, meaning piety, gentle, from ‘gentilis’, meaning of the same family, or later, of noble birth, while mercy comes from ‘merces’, a reward, probably later, a reward in heaven for good works on Earth.
None of these words were known before the 13th century, so in a Viking Saga, a writer should not use them. This applies to many other words, as well as the obvious ones coming from scientific research, and show how human thinking has developed throughout the ages.
This is not an easy read, but a fascinating one, nonetheless. I give it 5*
October 15, 2021
If you'd like to understand the development of human thought and the forgotten wisdom and folly of minds that came before ours, a good place to look is the words in this book.
Owen Barfield weaves together a History in English words in a way that invites the reader to think and imagine in ways that have been forgotten. He calls attention to important developments in thought and how they have effected the thoughts of modern minds. The themes he carefully chooses to expound upon are intended to subtly lead the reader into a deeper understanding of his own humanity. This is more than a mere book of etymology.
I think it's important to piece together the progression of human thought in order to contextualize our current ways of thinking. Thought is more often than not an unconscious act. History in English Words is a book that takes a step back and thinks about thinking itself.
This book will expand your understanding and hopefully rekindle the imagination.
Owen Barfield weaves together a History in English words in a way that invites the reader to think and imagine in ways that have been forgotten. He calls attention to important developments in thought and how they have effected the thoughts of modern minds. The themes he carefully chooses to expound upon are intended to subtly lead the reader into a deeper understanding of his own humanity. This is more than a mere book of etymology.
I think it's important to piece together the progression of human thought in order to contextualize our current ways of thinking. Thought is more often than not an unconscious act. History in English Words is a book that takes a step back and thinks about thinking itself.
This book will expand your understanding and hopefully rekindle the imagination.
Read
December 27, 2021It took me a while to grasp the author's purpose, since I was more interested in the words than in an intellectual/"racial" history, and this is definitely a history of the consciousness of the English people demonstrated through words that came into the language at various periods. The title is accurate, or might better be "History through English Words," certainly not "History of English Words." It is an old-fashioned book in style and outlook, as others have noted, and in my opinion he posits too great changes in English consciousness as if it applied to society generally -- or perhaps to the author the educated elite represent what's important in a society. He makes some interesting points, however, particularly in the second half of the book.
October 21, 2018
This book had a LOT to it, a really all-over-the-place book at times really without category. He unexpectedly got right into the natures of experience, consciousness and meaning - and how the very ability to talk about these things developed and mutated in English. However this fascinating stuff is incidental, and the core content of the book as the name suggests is a reflection of history (of Europe) in the etymology and use of English words. Really cool stuff, does connect a lot of dots, but the pace does waver and wander, and he does get a bit too tediously list-friendly at times.
Put me to sleep within a page many many nights.
Put me to sleep within a page many many nights.
February 5, 2022
“We must not be misled . . . into supposing that English is a language which has given away much. On the contrary, surveying it as a whole, we are struck, above all, by the ease with which it has itself appropriated the linguistic products of others . . . Its genius seems to have lain not so much in originality as in the snapping up of unconsidered trifles; and where it has excelled all the other languages of Europe, possibly of the world, is the grace with which it has hitherto digested these particles of foreign matter and turned them into its own life’s blood. Historically, the English language is a muddle; actually it is a beautiful, personal, and highly sensitive creature.” - Page 78
June 8, 2023
Barfield's conviction is that, contrary to much recent philosophy, words and language is not some special form of algebra, rather they are, as Auden describes, magical. Barfield goes on to study the history of consciousness of the Aryan race, and then more specifically the English through the development of their language. His point is that language determines what can be thought, and that once new words comes into existence they allow for new ideas and ways of understanding the world. The tale he then tells of the development of the English 'worldview' by studying the development of our language is simply fascinating.
March 2, 2021
A history of the changing western psyche and it's burgeoning interplay with language and culture. Through charting the use of words incorporated into English from other tongues or merely adapted from those already in use Barfield crafts a beautiful account of the push-and-pull between conscious and unconscious, introspection and outward vision, the mind as creator and the mind as thing in itself, and of recognising the parts that make the whole and rationalising dissection that leaves the whole obscured. Highly recommended reading.
July 13, 2024
Barfield writes for avid, serious readers of literature and, to some degree, for historians. For me, though, aside from seeing in these linguistic trends the spirit and outlook of various periods of time, the great detail he devotes to this study seemed a bit tedious. But I am 69, and my brain isn't what it used to be. The book is worth reading, though, if one does not mind an intellectual challenge.
October 6, 2019
This linguistic work was written by Owen Barfield, a friend and colleague of CS Lewis. He discusses how the English language evolved over time with borrowings from other languages. It is an interesting idea, but I found it a little confusing and there wasn't a lot of evidence presented for the assertions.
May 1, 2023
There is a rare brilliance to Barfield.
I'm sure I will be revisiting his chapters on *Mechanism* and *Imagination* in the years to come, for I have never seen such a clear description of the way linguistic revolutions contributed to our current social mess of personal autonomy, radical individualism, and rampant relativism.
I'm sure I will be revisiting his chapters on *Mechanism* and *Imagination* in the years to come, for I have never seen such a clear description of the way linguistic revolutions contributed to our current social mess of personal autonomy, radical individualism, and rampant relativism.
February 13, 2018
Barfield looks at the English language and the dates at which certain words entered the language, and what this can tell us of the prevailing social conditions. He takes this right back to words common to various Indo-European languages.
December 29, 2018
Upon the attainment of majority this book and the compact edition of the OED ought to be thrust into the hands of any young pup who means to do anything with the English language. "Here, this is your language. Now do it proud."
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