Planet Word

4.25 out of 5 (2 ratings)

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Format:: Hardback
Pages:: 448
Publisher:: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication Date:: 29 September 2011
Category:: Language: History & General Works
ISBN:: 9780718157746

Description

Unravel the mysteries of language with J.P. Davidson's remarkable "Planet Word". "The way you speak is who you are and the tones of your voice and the tricks of your emailing and tweeting and letter-writing, can be recognised unmistakably in the minds of those who know and love you". (Stephen Fry). From feral children to fairy-tale princesses, secrets codes, invented languages - even a language that was eaten! - "Planet Word" uncovers everything you didn't know you needed to know about how language evolves. Learn the tricks to political propaganda, why we can talk but animals can't, discover 3,000-year-old clay tablets that discussed beer and impotence and test yourself at textese - do you know your RMEs from your LOLs? Meet the 105-year-old man who invented modern-day Chinese and all but eradicated illiteracy, and find out why language caused the go-light in Japan to be blue. From the dusty scrolls of the past to the unknown digital future, and with (heart) the first graphic to enter the OED, are we already well on our way to a language without words? In a round-the-world trip of a lifetime, discover all this and more as J. P. Davidson travels across our gloriously, endlessly intriguing multilingual "Planet Word". John Paul Davidson is a film and television director and producer. After studying at Bristol University and completing his doctoral field work in The University of Malysia, he joined the BBC's Travel and Exploration Unit as their resident anthropologist. Stephen Fry's film, stage, radio and television credits are numerous and wide-ranging. He has written, produced, directed, acted in or presented productions as varied as "Wilde", "Blackadder", "Jeeves and Wooster", "A Bit of Fry and Laurie", "Fry's English Delight" and "QI". After writing many successful books, his recent memoir "The Fry Chronicles" was a number one bestseller.

Reader Reviews

Showing 1-2 out of 2 reviews.

What a perfect gem this book is. Written to accompany the BBC series of the same name, this is a delight for all lovers of the spoken and written word. and investigates pretty much everything any enthusiastic amateur could wish to know about the subject. Where and how did language begin? Why did oral communication develop into written language? Why is it that only humans have developed language while other animals have not? And how and why is our language now diversifying at such an astonishing rate with the introduction of business jargon, text-speak etc? Erudite yet accessible, informative yet rich in humour, this is a wonderful addition to any library. It is also clearly printed on quality paper, something that becomes more and more important to me the older I get.

4.50 out of 5

Booksloth
As booksloth has said, a gem. A flawed gem, but a gem nevertheless, and eminently readble. Davidson, perhaps with a lot of Fry or perhaps not, has scampered through linguistic theory and history with sheer delight. At times the TV origins, even BBCTV origins, make the text a little choppy, but this was never meant to be a Linguistics 101 (much less 301) text, and readability never lapses. There are one or two strange moments, particularly the first mention of Jonathan Swift. It is utterly misleading to note Swift as having 'recommended the Irish sell their children for food' (twice, on 94-5) without emphasisng the acid irony of the Dean's intent. "A Modest Proosal" is bitter parody, not, thank God, serious suggestion; Davidson should have paid Swift the credit of honouring his authorial intention even if authorial intention is a sear word in a pomo world. Later an astute editorial eye might have notice that P.G. Wodehouse segues in consecutive lines of print into someone called Woodhouse, a nasty oversight. Perhaps the proof-reader at that point was tired - the next page sees a paragraph end with no full stop.These slight slopinesses mar an otherwise outstanding meander through the complex labrynths of language. Good fun.

4.00 out of 5

zappa