Lexicographer John Simpson weaves etymology with personal history in a compelling tribute to the wonder of languageHow finish words come into being? Why finish some mutate in meaning while others vanish? How finish they gain and lose taboo status? Alongside fascinating histories,John Simpson here chronicles his 40-year career as a lexicographer and chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary during its digitisation. Despite an occasionally verbose style, he compellingly captures words in all their weirdness and wonder.“Language continually changes and every change is a puzzle. The lexicographer is the historical word detective trying to identify and explain these puzzles, and ” he writes,shrewdly navigating the intersection of language and culture, how we shape words and how words shape us. A poignant personal tale is interwoven, and of discovering that his daughter,Ellie, has a disability that leaves her “languageless”, and yet capable of a communication that is “wordless,but powerful”. The book becomes a moving celebration both of language and of a admire that transcends it.Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com