Dolnick traces the story of the two main men who made significant breakthroughs in unlocking heiroglyphs after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone: ChaDolnick traces the story of the two main men who made significant breakthroughs in unlocking heiroglyphs after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone: Champollion of France and Young of England.
After the prologue in which Dolnick conveniently leaves out some significant history that didn't fit the story he wanted to tell in the prologue, I realized that I was going to have to read this carefully. Dolnick is much less interested in telling the most unbiased history he can, than telling the history the way he wants it to be told with all his biases on full display. Which is good to realize right out of the gate. At its core, Dolnick does relate how Young and Champollion eventually unlocked heiroglyphs, which is an interesting tale. He peppers it with other rabbit trails and side notes about things he wants to include just because. I think if he were a less well-known writer he'd never have gotten away with including some of those side stories that were really unnecessary to the Rosetta Stone tale (do we need the full bio of a guy who just gives the two linguists just one more ancient Egyptian artifact to look at...not really, but Dolnick likes the guy so he gives us his life's story). If you are interested in how linguists crack dead languages, or ancient Egypt, or Egyptology you will probably find good bits of this interesting. Just go in knowing Dolnick is going to tell things the way he wants you to hear them.
Notes on content: There were a couple minor swears in quotes I believe. One of the rabbit trails involves a man fleeing to the Continent after being charged with homosexual acts in the 1800s (no detailed accounts of the events). Deaths of adventurers and soldiers and others from causes both violent and natural and gross are related along the way (none in any exceptional detail). ...more
A biography of the three people who worked the most on decoding Linear B, an ancient writing found on tablets unearthed at Crete that pre-dated Greek A biography of the three people who worked the most on decoding Linear B, an ancient writing found on tablets unearthed at Crete that pre-dated Greek in an unknown language. First there was the archaeologist, Arthur Evans who found the tablets in what he dubbed Midas' palace on Crete. Then there was the classical linguist professor, Alice Kober, who worked on it during her free time and came very close to cracking it before illness took her, and finally, the architect Michael Ventris, who also worked on it during his free time and finally broke the code.
This was a fascinating look at how hard it is to decode an unknown script for an unknown language and how the people who did manage to crack it open went about doing so. If you like codes and puzzles or linguistics, this should be right up your alley.
Notes on content: Maybe one or two minor swears in quotes (I really don't remember any clearly). No sexual content. Ventris died under mysterious circumstances in a car accident that is only superficially described. ...more
An illustrated dictionary of words that you are likely to come across in books and poems from 100+ years ago that are still popular, as well as in sciAn illustrated dictionary of words that you are likely to come across in books and poems from 100+ years ago that are still popular, as well as in science books, mythology, history, the SAT, and other very random places.
This is a fantastic resource not only for the curious kid or adult, but also for those reading classic literature, high schoolers studying for the SAT, those aiming to build their vocabulary, and general word lovers. I consider myself pretty well-read, I like old classics, I’ve taught science, I taught crazy vocabulary to students preparing for the SAT (before the most recent revisions to cut down on the crazy vocabulary), and there were still several words in here I had never come across before. There are several that I now want to start using in conversations and writing (For example, ‘Excuse me while I darkle my phone screen.’ ‘I come from a family of ailurophiles.’ ‘That was a ridiculously gonzo news story.’ ‘I have to renew my teaching license every quinquennium.’) And I like that it is just 100 pages so it isn’t overwhelming. Readers of all ages can benefit from this book whether as a resource to have on hand or something to sit down and read in bits and pieces or straight through. Definitely getting a copy for both our Elementary and Secondary libraries. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
A survey of words from around the world that convey thoughts that often just don't translate into one single word in any other language. Each spread sA survey of words from around the world that convey thoughts that often just don't translate into one single word in any other language. Each spread shares one word with a related illustration and then about three paragraphs of text that talk about the word, the culture the language comes from, or something about the country where the language is spoken.
I always find these books fun as you get introduced to amazing words from all over the world. I want to add a couple of these into my family's vocabulary. This book does a fantastic job of picking words from a vast array of languages, including some pretty obscure ones and more familiar ones. There is a pronunciation guide in the back of the book but it comes with a warning that many of the languages are tonal so just a written pronunciation guide may not be enough to know how to say the word correctly. I'd never seen a book make this very wise warning before. If the book has one flaw it is that the further text on each page is not very equal. On same pages the extra text is quite relevant to the word, and then on other pages it feels like the author just needed to fill the space so she picked a random topic to talk about. That part could have been better. It isn't bad, just very random and sometimes interrupted the flow of the book. I liked the cozy art style of the book. This is a fun read for just about any age reader who likes random facts and linguistics....more
Lahiri shares about her decision to learn Italian, and then her decision to read and write only in Italian, even though she has won awards for her wriLahiri shares about her decision to learn Italian, and then her decision to read and write only in Italian, even though she has won awards for her writing in her most comfortable language, English. She talks about learning a new language, and living overseas to immerse herself in it. She explores the differences between writing in a language that is new versus writing in one that is familiar and fluent. She ponders her relationship to Italian versus her birth language of Bengali and the language she grew up with at school, English. And she also shares some of her Italian short stories. The book is published with Italian and English texts side by side.
As an expat who works with students at an international school, most of whom are reading and writing in a language they've adopted and may not speak at home, I found Lahiri's writing fascinating and very relevant. She is able to put into words emotions, frustrations, and motivations for language learning that many will readily identify with, especially among international students. As the child of immigrants, she also gives voice to third culture kid issues (though she does not use that label) and how that influences how she feels about the languages she knows. All that to say, I totally get what she's saying here. And I know so many others who also get it. I may not have a drive to learn another language the way she does, but I definitely understand why she is doing it. I'm totally going to be recommending this book left and right to people at our school. I think many secondary students would benefit from reflecting on some of her thoughts and knowing they aren't alone, and teachers of such students would benefit from understanding the joys and struggles with a new language.
Notes on content: One f bomb in a quote, no other language or content issues....more
A picture book biography of Ben-Zion whose father in 1880s Jerusalem was on a campaign to make Hebrew a living language again after thousands of yearsA picture book biography of Ben-Zion whose father in 1880s Jerusalem was on a campaign to make Hebrew a living language again after thousands of years of being stagnant and only used for prayers or scripture reading. Ben-Zion's father went to extreme measures to make sure he only heard and spoke Hebrew, and the book tells about that as well as how he and his father worked to create new Hebrew words for modern inventions.
Ben-Zion's father sounds a little hard to live with, but in the end, he did make a lasting impact on Jewish culture in succeeding to make Hebrew a living language again. An important book for Jewish history and culture studies. Also an interesting read for linguistic studies....more
A picture book biography of Sequoyah, the Cherokee who created a written language for his people in the 1800s.
This book is bilingual, written in both A picture book biography of Sequoyah, the Cherokee who created a written language for his people in the 1800s.
This book is bilingual, written in both English and Cherokee. In back of the book is a pronunciation guide for Cherokee so readers can give reading in the language Sequoyah created a whirl. Also, not to be missed in the back of the book is a note from the author in why he chose to use phrases such as "they tell us" or "they say" (basically because there are many legends about Sequoyah and few hard facts). I love that Rumford provides kids with a great model in how to write about debatable facts in a way that doesn't mislead the reader. Fantastic reading pick for those curious about linguistics or the Cherokee....more
Loading...
