Talk on the wild side : why language can't be tamed / Lane Greene.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Greene, Robert Lane, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language and languages.

Physical Description:

232 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First US edition.

Place of Publication:

London : Public Affairs, 2018.

Summary:

"Language is a wild thing. It is vague and anarchic. Style, meaning, and usage are continually on the move. Throughout history, for every mutation, idiosyncrasy, and ubiquitous mistake, there have been countervailing rules, pronouncements and systems making some attempt to bring language to heel. From the utopian language-builder to the stereotypical grammatical stickler to the programmer trying to teach a computer to translate, Lane Greene takes the reader through a multi-disciplinary survey of the many different ways in which we attempt to control language, exploring the philosophies, motivations, and complications of each. The result is a highly readable caper that covers history, linguistics, politics, and grammar with the ease and humor of a dinner party anecdote. Talk on the Wild Side is both a guide to the great debates and controversies of usage, and a love letter to language itself. Holding it together is Greene's infectious enthusiasm for his subject. While you can walk away with the finer points of who says "whom" and the strange history of "buxom" schoolboys, most of all, it inspires awe in language itself: for its elegance, resourcefulness, and power."--publisher's description.

Contents:

Introduction: The Case of the Missing Whom

Bringing the universe to order

Is language logic?

Machines for talking

Buxom, but never nice

Language tamers with armies and navies

Whom in a biker bar

Apologies to Orwell

Conclusion: Weirder and more wonderful.

Notes:

"The Economist. Books."

Includes bibliographical references (pages [217]-222) and index.

ISBN:

1610398335

9781610398336

OCLC:

1028185192