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20 Werken 610 Leden 12 Besprekingen

Over de Auteur

Vivian Cook is an emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University. His main current interests are how people learn second languages and how writing works in different languages, particularly in street signs. He is a founder of the European Second Language Association and toon meer co-founder and co-editor of the journal Writing System Research. toon minder
Fotografie: Photo by Pam Cook

Werken van Vivian Cook

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Geboortedatum
1940-06-13
Geslacht
male
Nationaliteit
UK
UK
Beroepen
linguist
university professor

Leden

Besprekingen

 
Gemarkeerd
LindaLeeJacobs | 10 andere besprekingen | May 20, 2023 |
I didn't find this book as entertaining or informative as I had hoped. It is a collection of lists and examples that seem to be just stuff the author has amassed and decided to throw together. It certainly gives reasons why nobody can spell - our language is nuts! But I didn't really learn anything new, and I'm not even sure some of the information is accurate (for example, the author seems to think the word "fracas" has a silent "s" - maybe that's a British thing).
 
Gemarkeerd
glade1 | 10 andere besprekingen | Aug 18, 2014 |
This is a strange book and I'm not sure how well it travels outside the specific region for which it appears to have been written (southern England). There are some fascinating history lessons on English spelling but many of the more modern examples don't make sense outside of specific dialects. For example: our and awe aren't homophones where I live. They aren't even close! There are also some examples of "American" example which may been regionally correct but aren't nationally correct. Here are some examples: dialog, glamour, catalog. In my neck of the woods, they are spelled: dialogue, glamor, catalogue (except in LIS which goes for the catalog option). Then there is the weird spelling of hiccup (hiccough in the book). I've NEVER seen it spelled hiccough and even found a couple examples from the BBC website of the hiccup spelling. In conclusion, I think this book would have been stronger if it had just stayed with one dialect and its history of spelling rules.… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
pussreboots | 10 andere besprekingen | Apr 9, 2013 |
The subtitle is actually somewhat misleading here, since it's not actually about why nobody can spell, but rather just a series of anecdotes and quizzes about spelling in general. This is not a book you just sit down and read all at once, but rather something you pick up from time to time and read a few pages. Much of the volume consists of examples of nonstandard (or plain old incorrect) spelling, from lists of band names to photos of business logos. My favorite parts were the ones that dealt with the evolution of language; some of the humor essays on spelling were pretty amusing as well. I suppose if you're obsessed with proper spelling you might enjoy this one, but honestly I'm not surprised I was able to get it for all of a dollar at Borders. It's just a bit too niche for me.… (meer)
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Gemarkeerd
melydia | 10 andere besprekingen | Jul 18, 2010 |

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Statistieken

Werken
20
Leden
610
Populariteit
#41,203
Waardering
2.9
Besprekingen
12
ISBNs
78
Talen
2

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