The Miracle of Language

Rating:
Summary: Deepen Your Appreciation of English
Review: Although Richard Lederer may be best known for his delightful word play, he is also an eminent authority on English. In _The Miracle of Language_ he writes somewhat more seriously about this language that he loves, inspiring in us a deeper appreciation of our system of communication that we often take for granted.

The chapter titled "In Praise of English" makes us grateful that ours is a language that puts so many words at our disposal -- remarkable for their sheer number as well as for their variety. Because English has so freely adopted words from other languages, we often have many choices about how we will express an idea -- whether we will use short words derived from Anglo-Saxon, for example, or more luxurious words derived from French.

Although Lederer's subject matter is serious, his style never becomes ponderous. His short chapters and lively prose keep the reader engaged. And occasionally he cannot resist playing, as in the chapter titled "The Case for Short Words," where for four paragraphs he restricts himself to one-syllable words.

Of special interest are the chapters about literary giants -- William Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, and George Orwell -- and the contributions they have made not only to our literature but also to our language. For example, Shakespeare is credited with the first use of over 1,700 words, nearly eight percent of the different words that he used in his writing. In addition, his plays include many phrases that have become titles of novels and many others that have been repeated so often that they have become clichés.

Lederer also includes many inspiring quotations about English and entries from the ground-breaking dictionaries of Samuel Johnson and Ambrose Bierce. (Can you imagine undertaking the formidable task of writing the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language?)

Lederer champions letter writing, poetry writing, libraries, reading, the effective use of English. Particularly poignant is the example of mistranslation of one word that led to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Lederer fondly portrays English as a thriving, evolving entity. By instilling appreciation for the legacy we have received, he inspires us to safeguard its future.

Rating:
Summary: Open your Mind
Review: The Miracle of Language is a classic. The author explain in a simple way the history of our language. The Lederer's magical mystery tour through what we all too often take for granted: our own mother tongue.

Certainly, you will enjoy this reading.

Rating:
Summary: Is "language" the same thing as "English"
Review: The title of this book says the "MIRACLE OF LANGUAGE", yet there is little discussion of the origins, the psychology, the evolutionary aspects of language. Instead it is a sometimes witty treatise on English in all its glory. If he wanted to write such a book it should have been called "THE FUN OF ENGLISH" or something to that effect.

The text is HUGE and spread out - a lot like those self-help books that one can zip through in about half an hour. Some of the topics were interesting but by and large this was a tale of modern English.