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Editor and teacher Rob Kyff writes "The Word Guy," a collection of vocabulary trivia, language facts, and reader-submitted examples of bad grammar...
Read more about Rob Kyff.
Editor and teacher Rob Kyff writes "The Word Guy," a collection of vocabulary trivia, language facts, and reader-submitted examples of bad grammar...
Read more about Rob Kyff.
Cool Off with a Babbling Book
Rob Kyff
For word lovers, the summer of 2008 arrives with a refreshing splash
of beach books, lakeshore lexicons and poolside paperbacks.
In "The Prodigal Tongue -- Dispatches from the Future of English" (Houghton Mifflin, $25), Mark Abley predicts that by 2015, half the world's population will be learning or speaking English. This lively, anecdotal book reports, for instance, that the blend languages Manglish, Konglish and Chinglish now flourish in Malaysia, South Korea and China, respectively.
Of course, the proliferation of English can lead to trouble. In "Screwed Up English -- Twisted Translations of English from around the World," by Charlie Croker (Adams Media, $10.95), you'll find these ominous signs: (on a menu in Madrid) "Our wine list leaves you nothing to hope for"; (for a donkey ride in Thailand) "Would you like to ride on your own ass?"
Speaking of menus, did you know "meat" once meant any kind of food? That "satellite" once denoted an obsequious attendant? That "tall" once described someone who was fair or handsome? You'll discover these delightful transformations in "Semantic Antics -- How and Why Words Change Meaning," by noted editor and lexicographer Sol Steinmetz (Random House, $14.95).
No list of summer word books is complete without "The Man Who Made Lists -- Love, Death, Madness and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus," by Joshua Kendell (G. P. Putnam, $25.95). Kendell tells the fascinating story of British physician and scholar Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869), whose lifelong obsessions with lists culminated in the book we all consult (turn to, access, scour) for just the right word.
Language columnist June Casagrande offers common sense, down-to-earth advice that punctures the pomposity of linguistic purists. Her handy new book "Mortal Syntax" (Penguin, $14.00) tells you when to hold the line -- "This is between you and I" (wrong); when to hesitate -- "Loan me some money" (many oppose using "loan" as a verb); and when to go with the flow -- "Hopefully these grammar snobs will get a life" (OK).
And for those lazy afternoons in the hammock, consider "Not Bartlett's -- Thoughts on the Pleasures of Life: People, Love, Gardens, Dogs and More," edited by Elise Lufkin (Helen Marx Books, $16.95). This relaxing alternative to the more compendious "Bartlett's Quotations" offers literary blooms such as "A book should serve as an axe for the frozen sea within us" (Franz Kafka). Now, there's a nice cool thought for summer.
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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Rob Kyff and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
Copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate Inc.
This news arrived on: 07/02/2008
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Posted Comments:
07-02-2008 19:06
Alan J. Zell wrote:
Mixed languages
Isn't Manglish, Konglish and Chinglish just following in the path of Yiddish that has been practiced for years and years? Not only tghatg but each of these basterdized English will have diffeences even within their own combolanguage. And, certainly, there will be terms in Manglish, Konlish and Chinglish that will find their way into English just as Yiddish words have.
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