Customer Reviews

Verbatim: From the bawdy to the sublime, the best writing on language for word lovers, grammar mavens, and armchair linguists

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I got this book as a Christmas present from my roommate but I didn't start to read it until after Easter. But I'm really glad I did. It was both funny and thought-provoking. There is so much most people don't know about the language we use every day. It was really interesting, and the articles are short and not technical at all so you don't get bogged down.
As I read through it I got really into it and was going to give a copy to my Dad for Father's Day. But then there was a whole article (really funny!) about new uses of the f-word and that's not really for parental units...my roommate said her parents loved it, though.
However, I liked this book so much that I googled the magazine Verbatim and subscribed!

A friend of mine, knowing I'm a student of linguistics, lent me this book, and I'm glad she did; it was one of the most fun, yet relaxing, books I've read in some time. The majority of the essays are funny, and those that aren't are at least interesting (though I confess that there were a few of them I simply didn't care for, it was more than made up for by the others.) The format makes it perfect for short bursts of recreation, especially if you just have a bit of time to kill on the bus or while waiting for something.. it's an excellent book to be read in pieces (and would make a good "bathroom book", come to think of it.) Like other reviewers here, I enjoyed this book so much that I decided to subscribe to the periodical, and I would recommend it to linguists, grammarians and anyone else who enjoys language.

I bought this book because I saw a review by Michael Quinion (www.worldwidewords.org). Although I enjoyed many of the essays in the book, the book was so poorly organized, I found myself very frustrated while reading it. Just a few editorial changes would have greatly improved it. It should have an index. The essays should be identified by the date they were published in the quarterly. Short intros to each essay providing some context and updating of the subject matter, as appropriate, would have made a big impact with a small amount of work on the part of the editor.

This book is a fine compilation of the best essays published in the periodical "Verbatim: The Language Quarterly". The book is devoted to celebrating the bizarre aspects of language (mostly concerning English). Most of the essays are humorous in nature, though many of them are educational and eye opening. Topics such as dialects, dictionaries, grammar, jargon, naming, obscenities, and wordplay are covered in great detail. The section on non-English is especially interesting, which explains Japanese onomatopoeia, Spanish dialects and an odd Welsh dictionary. An essential book for linguists, though most people should find this book enjoyable.

God, I love this book! Where else are you going to find a fascinating exegesis of the use of slang in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a discussion of the specific nuances of language within the S/M community, and a discussion of dirty words down the centuries in a single volume? Buy a copy for yourself and several more for your friends who like to explore the back alleys of language.

"Verbatim" explores the intricacies of the English language. It is a collection of essays written by talented authors that discusses the words we use and what effect it may have in our everyday lives. The majority of articles are devoted to the English language, but there are also a couple of interesting works about other languages.

There is a wide variety of topics discussed about linguistics. I'll just mention a few so you can get a general idea:
--The decision of lexicographers to omit the f*** word from the dictionary to prevent children from seeing it
--Self-reference words (e.g. a noun is a noun, a term is a term, writable is writable.)
--Slang words for prostitute
--Redundant phrases
--Problems faced by "kinky sex" organizations when they have to describe what they do
--Popular phrases that originate from games
--Popular names with unexpected connotations
--History papers written by students with numerous, as well as hilarious, inconsistencies
--The change in the definition of Spanish words depending on where in Latin America you are

In short, this is a book that's perfect for anyone who loves the irony in languages. If you're not much of a word lover, or if you don't like reading books with lots of advanced library, you won't like "Verbatim" as much.

While the book itself is great for those who are fans of the genre, it could be organized a little better. An index would have been useful, and so would a little more information about the articles themselves (e.g. where and when it was first published, etc.)