A boon to all language lovers, as well as those specifically interested in the history of English writing and...
Parade magazine columnist vos Savant takes the reader on an entertaining and illuminating journey into the confused world of English orthography.
Who hasn't complained about the pitfalls of English spelling? The problem, vos Savant suggests, began in the sixth century, when the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity and switched from the runic to the Roman writing system, whose Latin alphabet was inadequate for spoken English. The influx of immigrants during the Middle Ages, periods of French domination, and multiplicity of dialects just made the problem worse, and the stabilization of spelling between 1400 and 1600 did not record dramatic phonetic changes. Though calls for a spelling reform have periodically sounded ever since, lexicographers presume that no imposed standard would capture the dynamics of the language, which is in constant flux. So, brace yourselves for more discrepancies between the spoken and written word. Vos Savant will at least make insecure spellers happy, as she states that there is no direct correlation between spelling performance and general intelligence. However, a reader survey yielding 42,000 responses indicates that spelling ability is linked to some personality traits. For instance, detail-oriented, organized people are likely to be top spellers, and deficiency in pronunciation skills leads to more mistakes in writing. Vos Savant provides several easy tests to enable readers to determine their most typical spelling errors, along with helpful hints for improvement. The book also contains a set of rules and a list of commonly misspelled words. But the author is no fan of computer spellchecking, one of the many forms of modern technology she believes have a potentially negative effect of on spelling.
A boon to all language lovers, as well as those specifically interested in the history of English writing and psycholinguistics—and perhaps a therapeutic and educational read for poor spellers as well.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-393-04903-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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