Linguistics

[Patrick Murtha]

A subject of great interest, although I am a pretty poor linguist on the speaking side.

Raymond Sokolov’s novel Native Intelligence, about a linguist and Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s, is excellent, but seems to be little-known (only 16 Goodreads ratings including mine).

Eugene Ehrlich, Amo, Amas, Amat and More (really fun if you studied Latin, and even if you didn’t)

Allan Metcalf, The World in So Many Words (illuminating)

Arika Okrent, In the Land of Invented Languages (superb)

 

[Stevie B]

Raymond Sokolov’s novel Native Intelligence, about a linguist and Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s, is great, but seems to be little-known (only 16 Goodreads ratings including mine).

I read the Sokolov novel prior to joining the Peace Corps, and I enjoyed it, as well. One thing that I recall learning in the book is that in the early days of Peace Corps, they conducted training in the U.S. and not everyone was selected to actually go abroad.

By the way, if you liked Native Intelligence, you might want to check out I Get on the Bus by Reginald McKnight. That novel is also about a Peace Corps volunteer, though there's the added twist of the main character being African American and experiencing Africa (Senegal) for the first time.

 

[Patrick Murtha]

^ That sounds excellent!

 

[umbrarchist]

Because of reading lots of science fiction I encountered the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis in a number of books ages ago.

Robert Heinlein got interested in General Semantics by Alfred Korzybski in the 1940s and mentioned LOGLAN, Logical Language, a number of times in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

The Tyranny of Words by Stuart Chase is easier than Korzybski's Science and Sanity that I struggled most of the way through in my 30s.