A Summer Feast for Wordies
While you're enjoying a deck, a dock or a daiquiri this summer, dip into the one of these new books about words and language.
Did you know that "lick into shape" originated from the medieval belief that bear cubs are born shapeless and are licked into shape by their mothers? Have you heard that "stealing someone's thunder" arose when a London playwright simulated thunder for one of his plays by rattling a sheet of tin, and a rival director stole his technique for a production of "Macbeth"? These are among the fascinating etymologies you'll discover in "Interesting Stories about Curious Words: From Stealing Thunder to Red Herrings" by Susie Dent (John Murray, $24.99).
In "The Power of Language: How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform Our Minds" (Dutton, $17.99), Viorica Marian, a professor of communication and psychology at Northwestern, explains how mastering two or more languages can sharpen your brain, spur your creativity and even stave off dementia. With clear writing, splashed with clever analogies and wry humor, Marian makes a compelling case for multilingualism, inspiring you to dust off that old Spanish textbook or subscribe to a Mandarin 101 podcast.
If you're put off by stodgy grammar books that rigidly present do's and don'ts, pick up "Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words" by Ann Curzan (Crown, $29). A professor and dean at the University of Michigan, Curzan takes a fresh and lighthearted look at the way English is actually spoken and written. Never a "grammando" (someone who corrects others' mistakes), she's instead a self-described "wordie" (someone who takes delight in language's shifting landscape). While admitting to disdaining "impactful," for instance, she nevertheless acknowledges its increasing use and acceptability.
Fascinated by words of yore? Check out "365 Days of Forgotten Words: A Daily Dictionary from Absquatulate to Zemblanity" (Everyday 365 Books, $17.99). This compendium, which offers the definition and origins of an obsolete or rarely used word for each day of the year, provides fascinating insights into the history of English. "Absquatulate," for example, is a playful invention of American slang that blends "abscond," "squat" and "perambulate"; it means "to depart with urgency and a sense of mischief." "Zemblanity," derived from Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago of Arctic islands, is the opposite of "serendipity"; it's a chance occurrence that proves to be UNlucky.
Oh, the zemblanity!
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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.
Copyright 2024 Creators Syndicate Inc.
