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6 Werken 924 Leden 14 Besprekingen

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Bevat de namen: Flynn Humez, Alexander Humez

Ontwarringsbericht:

(eng) Family name pronounced “HyuMAY”

Werken van Alexander Humez

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Geslacht
male
Nationaliteit
USA
Opleiding
Harvard College
Ontwarringsbericht
Family name pronounced “HyuMAY”

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Besprekingen

I expected to see something in the vein of that eye-opening theory on how a brake between words in writing has dramatically changed the course of our learning, gleaned from William Bernstein's "Masters of the Word: How Media Shaped History ". However it looks like there's nothing of that kind in it. Still let me quote from Bernstein:

“The empowerment afforded by solitary silent reading is hard to overestimate. In the world of scriptura continua, the monk or scholar had to read aloud, usually as a member of a group, affording him no opportunity to stop, consider, or analyze. The silent reader had not only all these advantages, but also the ability to compose, fluently, in spaced writing. Most critically, having to dictate to a scribe took away the author’s privacy, since it required two participants. Eliminating the need for scribes gave rise to the newly widespread expression of seditious and sexual content. In the world of scriptura continua, Church authorities could control the reading of controversial texts. By contrast, silent reading of spaced text allowed scholars and monks at-will access to and independent analysis of these works. Spaced text snatched access to books from abbots or bishops and handed it to the monk, the student, and the researcher, who “could peruse knowledge while keeping their thoughts to themselves.

***
“Solitary writing not only increased the power of individuals, but also improved their ability to impart ideas and knowledge to students, and it especially transformed the educational process. The classroom of scriptura continua involved reading aloud on a grand scale. The new spaced script enabled the educator to separate the lecture.

The sum total of things wrought by the humble blank space between words—the ease of both reading and composition; the improved efficiency of copying and of education; and the control, autonomy, and privacy afforded the individual—is such that the Reformation and Enlightenment would scarcely have been possible without it*. All that was needed was the means to print the words surrounding those spaces, and the paper to print them on.”

* “Saenger, Paul, Space Between Words (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1997), pp. 249–250, 258–276. The “Saenger hypothesis,” that the advent of spaced script precipitated an explosion of literary activity and social change, though well accepted by paleographers and linguists, is not without its critics. See, for example, Michael Richter, untitled review, American Historical Review 106:2 (April 2001): 627–628; and Mark Aronoff, untitled review, Language in Society 31:4 (Septemeber 2002): 624-628.”
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Gemarkeerd
Den85 | 1 andere bespreking | Jan 3, 2024 |
"Latina pro Populo" makes use of a goofy quasi-countercultural humour in its writing. However, all of the not-necessarily-funny or even comprehensible jokes aside, the authors chose to use long-winded explanations of Latin grammar, which are ultimately not useful to a person like myself who has not previously studied Latin (though I have studied French for translation; have also learned Italian, German, and Russian, and am currently studying Spanish; both with teachers and auto-didactically). Nonetheless, I only speak English fluently and understand that a language is best learned in a country where it is spoken, and of course with Latin such opportunities would be severely limited, unless one lives -IE- in the Vatican. Although I do not have a degree in linguistics, nor am I a linguistic professional, it is my observation that English itself contains a great deal of Latin-based vocabulary; consequently, once one becomes aware of that, that in itself can aid in understanding Latin.

In support of this text, I appreciated the translation exercises, and found that I was able to understand about 25% of the Latin text presented here. Conversely, I can see that for a beginner, this overview of Latin grammar would seem daunting. I read the various excerpts in Latin (the "fabula"), the vocabulary, the verb conjugations--Out Loud--in an effort to get a feel for the sound of the language (at least as I imagine it sounds). In that regard, there was one glaring omission: I could not find any in-depth discussion in this book in regard to how the Latin language is pronounced. The text contains some interesting historical background of the Latin language and its connection to Greek, and to the predecessor of both Greek and Latin, Proto-Indo-European. In the end, I wish this book had made use of a more structured method for learning and practicing Latin; this text works best as an introduction to Latin. Additionally, to its credit, "Latina pro Populo" does suggest additional resources useful for those wishing to continue their Latin studies; as well as synopsis of Latin grammar, and a glossary.
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Gemarkeerd
stephencbird | 3 andere besprekingen | Sep 19, 2023 |
This beautiful little book is a work of art in itself. Printed by the Godine Press
 
Gemarkeerd
hcubic | 1 andere bespreking | Jun 4, 2017 |

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Statistieken

Werken
6
Leden
924
Populariteit
#27,777
Waardering
½ 3.7
Besprekingen
14
ISBNs
18

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