Tag Archives: language

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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Book Review: The Unexpected Evolution Of Language

Posted on July 22, 2019 by

The Unexpected Evolution Of Language:  Discover The Surprising Etymology Of Everyday Words, by Justin Cord Hayes Why would the evolution of language be unexpected to anyone who has a remote idea of the history of words.  When we reflect upon … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Written In Stone

Posted on July 22, 2019 by

Written In Stone:  A Journey Through The Stone Age And The Origins Of Modern Language, by Christopher Stevens At its heart, this book is a historical dictionary, but of an unusual and striking kind.  Rather than seeking to go from … Continue reading →

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Book Review: That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

Posted on July 22, 2019 by

That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means:  The 150 Most Commonly Misused Words And Their Tangled Histories, by Ross Petras And Kathryn Petras There are some languages that have official language academies that officially tell what is and what … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Story Of Writing

Posted on June 20, 2019 by

The Story Of Writing:  Alphabets, Hieroglyphs and Pictograms, by Andrew Robinson Having read some of the author’s work before, I did not find this book or its approach particularly surprising.  It is striking to me, and more than a little … Continue reading →

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On The Creation Of Languages

Posted on June 7, 2019 by

One of the aspects of human creativity that deserves more attention is the way that languages can be created.  While the evolution of languages has been viewed by some [1] as an undirected evolution that demonstrates the feasibility of evolution … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Keys Of Egypt

Posted on June 7, 2019 by

The Keys Of Egypt:  The Race To Crack The Hieroglyph Code, by Lesley And Roy Adkins This particular book tells a somewhat familiar story (at least, it is familiar to me), but it does so in an enjoyable way that … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Cracking The Egyptian Code

Posted on June 7, 2019 by

Cracking The Egyptian Code:  The Revolutionary Life Of Jean-François Champollion The study of the deciphering of various ancient languages has led me to understand all the more clearly that to decipher a past language is an act that requires a … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Seeker Of Knowledge

Posted on June 7, 2019 by

Seeker Of Knowledge:  The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs, by James Rumford This book is a pleasant and surprisingly instructive children’s book on the life of Jean-Françios Champollion.  To be sure, there is some oversimplification here, as the author focuses … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Forgotten Founder

Posted on June 4, 2019 by

The Forgotten Founder:  Noah Webster’s Obsession And The Creation Of An American Culture, by Joshua Kendall My biggest gripe with this book, and it is not even a very big gripe, is the title.  There are a great many forgotten … Continue reading →

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