Katzner's Languages of the World

In a message dated 15.11.2001 06:52:40 PM, Matthew.Pearson@DIRECTORY.REED.EDU
writes:

>--- Yoon Ha Lee wrote:
>
>>I picked up _Languages of the World_ by Kenneth Katzner a few weeks ago.
>>It's an interesting, *very* breezy survey of world languages, probably
>>not really useful linguistically (the author works for the U.S. federal
>gov't)
>--- end of quote ---
>
>I would go so far as to say linguistically useless--though not entirely
>impractical, since studying the textual examples can help you identify
>different languages from written texts (a sort of language equivalent to
>a bird-watcher's field guide).
>
    LMAOROTF, HM!, my sentiments exactly in regards to this book. I took one
look thru it & said this guy is one of those 1950's birdwatchin' government
bureaucrat Bible-thumpers who has one of those old blocky black nylon
eyeglasses on... still (if he is still breathing [maybe he got buried with
them on]). Ever read _The Ugly American_?

> <SNiP> that book in my high school library played a pivotal role in my
becoming a >linguist--that and Mario Pei's "The Story of Language", another
seriously flawed work. >Both books have places of honour on my bookshelf.

    I have 2 old fav's too:

     _The Loom of Language_ by Frederick Bodmer, edited by Lancelot Hogben
(1st American edition! A 1944 "A Wartime Book" edition at that!) [Nice
feature: "Language Museum" - 2 rather large "basic vocabularies" in both
major "Teutonic" and Romance Languages compared!!!!)

    and talkin' of Mario Pei: _How to Learn Languages and What Languages to
Learn_ - a very flawed work... I got mad at his insisting pidgins and creoles
are "baby-talk", etc. then saying IIRC Bahasa Malay had it's start as a
pidgin and that it is becoming a real language, etc..

    Pei's book is now superseded by Barry Farber's book: _How To Learn Any
Language Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and On Your Own_. One of
the best layman books on the subject of language learning techniques (yes/ja,
PLURAL. Farber calls it "the Multi-Track Attack". I would call it "the
B.A.M.N.&I. (By Any Means Necessary & Intriguing) Path").


czHANg
    {humours not marked or dyed pending further melancolic lab results}