Tag Archives: language

What Makes You Basic

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

Last night at our congregation’s annual variety show, I was among three people chosen to embarrass ourselves answering questions Jeopardy-style for the amusement of the people in our congregation.  As it happens, the last category to be chosen involved postmodern … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Dictionary Of Gestures

Posted on November 12, 2019 by

Dictionary Of Gestures:  Expressive Comportments And Movements In Use Around The World, by François Caradec, illustrated by Philippe Cousin, translated by Chris Clarke This was not as good a book as I hoped it would be.  Like many people, I … Continue reading →

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Book Review: How Language Began

Posted on November 12, 2019 by

How Language Began:  The Story of Humanity’s Greatest Invention, by Daniel L. Everett Do you like fairy tales?  I do too, but it is perhaps better if people are aware that they are writing fairy tales and not possessed of … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Lost In Translation

Posted on November 12, 2019 by

Lost In Translation:  An Illustrated Compendium Of Untranslatable Words From Around The World, by Ella Frances Sanders I have often reflected upon the problems of translation, given that I am a multilingual person who also tends to think and feel … Continue reading →

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OK Boomer

Posted on November 9, 2019 by

Throughout my life I have had an ambivalent relationship with Baby Boomers.  Both of my parents were Boomers, my father (and stepfather) being born towards the beginning of the generation and subject to the difficulties of the Vietnam War and … Continue reading →

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How Do You Know What The Late Age Of Anything Is?

Posted on October 4, 2019 by

One of the patterns I note when reading books is that Marxist writers have a distinct and lamentable habit of referring to the contemporary period as the late age of things that have not yet ended.  For example, a Marxist … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Language Hacking: French

Posted on September 13, 2019 by

Language Hacking:  French, by Benny Lewis I must admit that I find learning about languages to be a deeply interesting thing [1]. and as I am going to some Caribbean islands, a few of which speak French rather than English, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Serendipity

Posted on September 5, 2019 by

Serendipity:  Language And Lunacy, by Umberto Eco This particular book is a collection of essays, and they demonstrate the approach that Umberto Eco has taken as a semiotician through the course of his career as a philosopher.  With a strong … Continue reading →

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Je M’appelle Gummy Bear

Posted on August 31, 2019 by

Some years ago, when I still lived in Florida, I became fascinated with the French version of a meme song that was a hit in the United States called “Je M’appelle Gummy Bear.”  There were other versions of the song … Continue reading →

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On The Inadequacy Of Language

Posted on August 19, 2019 by

One of the most notable inadequacies of the English language is the fact that we have the same word to describe all forms of love.  We cannot possibly love our job, our mother, our significant other, our favorite food or … Continue reading →

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