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Title: Language Visible: Unraveling the Mystery of the Alphabet from A to Z
ISBN: 0767911725
Author:
David Sacks
Publicate Date: 2003-08-19
Publish: 2003-08-19
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $11.00
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $3.22
Amazon Merchant Price: $16.47
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Images of Language
Who would have thought that a book about our alphabet could be so delightful? David Sacks combines scholarship with affection and humor to make this subject thoroughly appealing.
He presents an overview of the evolution of alphabetic writing, beginning with the earliest known inscriptions at Wadi el-Hol in Egypt. These were attributed to foreign workers or soldiers who, around 2000 BC, adapted Egyptian hieroglyphs to their own Semitic language. From there the new writing spread along caravan routes into the greater Semitic world, passed into the emergent Phoenician culture around 1200 BC, and eventually morphed into the Greek and Roman alphabets.
The advent of printing finalized our alphabet, settling on the "roman" typeface which itself was based on the Carolingian minuscule. (Those of us who have had to struggle through medieval manuscripts fondly remember the legibility and esthetic beauty of Carolingian minuscule).
The fun part begins with personality profiles of each of the 26 letters of our alphabet. (Samuel Johnson acknowledged only 24, treating J and V as variants of I and U).
Sacks depicts each letter in various handwriting and print shapes and then proceeds to unveil its distinctive "character". Some letters are in constant competition with each other (K,C,Q); others convey primordial sounds (M, as in ma-ma) or emotions (O). The history of R is among the most interesting, going back to a head-shaped letter in the Wadi el-Hol inscriptions. The growling sound gave R the name "dog letter" (canina littera) as early as the first century AD.
Then there are the special letters of Old English, thorn and eth, which denoted the "th" sound but vanished after the Norman invasion of 1066, when Latin-derived French influenced spelling habits.
U has a mournful sound, as expressed in the Latin verb "ululare", or in Horace's line "pulvis et umbra sumus". Its neatly curved shape has been exploited in advertising, as have other distinctive letters (O,Q,V,X,Y etc.) which have had separate careers as free-standing corporate logos or emblems denoting special status.
Each of these chapters is a gem in its own right and a joy to read. I have learned a lot, even from the incidental anecdotes sprinkled throughout the text. The book would make a handsome gift for anyone interested in language and its visible expressions.
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2: Spent far too long on my To-be-read pile
This book examines the history of the alphabet that we all know and love...and by the third chapter I could finally read it without getting the ABC song stuck in my head. Sacks examines the evolution of each letter, its relationship to the other letters, its placement in the alphabet, and pop culture images of the letters. Furthermore, pronunciation shifts and language influences to pronunciation are excellently explained. Sacks presents plenty of examples of how to pronounce certain letter sounds-so much that I think my husband is now afraid I'll be reading aloud. He also gives an entertaining introduction to linguistics-again, causing me to contort my mouth every few lines to examine the difference between voiced and unvoiced sounds, letter pairs, fricatives, sibilants, and all those other wonderful ways we make our language and accents. This is beyond a beginner's book on language (but not much beyond); having a basic understanding of world history, word origins, and foreign languages is the best way to truly enjoy this book. It is not a difficult or boring read, however. I was entertained the entire time I was reading. The only reason it took me more than a week to finish it is that I kept reading parts of it aloud to my husband because of how much I kept learning.
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3: accessible, light, and fun
In the first section Sacks explains the latest discoveries and research on the history of our alphabet, which is more electrifying that it might sound. The portraits of each letter flow from historical to pop-cultural references for an overall accessible, light, and fun read.
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4: Think you're a wordmeister?
Those of us who proudly stand at the barriers opposing the ever-increasing surge of language barbarism can use all the ammunition made available to us. Mr. Sacks' wonderfully readable little book is filled with facts and historigraphical flitchettes on the amazing English tongue that suits this purpose. Additionally, even word-warriors can occasionally have fun... and this great little gem is loaded with tidbits that will often cause the reader to say "ummm, I didn't know that;" or simply chuckle out loud. For the curious, if you ever wondered why our language looks like it does, this is the book for you.
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5: Required Reading
This book is a great one to own and to read over and over again. There's a few annoying typos but I would still whole-heartedly recommend it to each and everyone. Especially for those who tend to take for granted the supposedly entrenched institutions of "civilized" society, discovering the quirky and arbitrary history of the English alphabet will make their innocent heads spin. I vote that this book should be required reading in American public education.
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