Schott’s Significa

An Unexpectedly Essential Guide to Language

Ben Schott

$45

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Michael Joseph Ltd
09 October 2025

Sociolinguistics

Schott is back - and better than ever! From the mind that created the million-copy selling Schott's Original Miscellany comes Schott's Significa- an indispensable field guide to the hidden lore and language of our modern age.

A language taxonomy for our curious times. Every day we are surrounded by complex, private systems of knowledge and language- some we use ourselves, others we observe or overhear. Every trade, gang, clique, and profession develops a private lexicon of words, signs, and signals to bind its members closer while keeping strangers out. From dog-walkers to spies, sommeliers to gym-goers, typography to graffiti, Schott's Significa decodes the secret languages that surround us. Packed with analysis exploring these taxonomies in all their fascinating detail, photographs and illustrations, this book is a dynamic evolution of the Miscellany concept for our curious times and the key to unlocking the hidden worlds around us.

By: Ben Schott
Imprint: Michael Joseph Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 251mm, Width: 170mm, Spine: 35mm
Weight: 500g
ISBN: 9780241736609
ISBN 10: 0241736609
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 09 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Ben Schott is the creator and designer of the international bestseller Schott's Original Miscellany and its three sequels. He subsequently published a series of Schott's Almanacs, a collection of German neologisms - Schottenfreude - and two authorized homages to P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and The King of Clubs and Jeeves and The Leap of Faith. Together, these books have sold some 2.5 million copies in 21 languages (including Braille). Ben has written for the Times, The Telegraph, The New York Times, The Spectator, The Guardian, Private Eye, Reader's Digest and The Paris Review, among others. In 2004 he won a D&AD Pencil for Creative Excellence, and in 2015 he won the James Beard award for humour.