Synopsis
Examines the origin of simple but important words, the development of language, and the light that words shed on the history of human beings
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Reviews
These short essays by the author of Lives of a Cell reflect Thomas's fascination with the origins of words and their historical percolation. By tracing certain words in common use millennia ago ( wopsa , for instance) from, say, an Indo-European root through Old Norse or Middle Dutch or Old Icelandic, he demonstrates how such words are remarkably similar to their descendants in modern English ( wasp ). Many words he finds both "lovely and lovable" ( civility , for example), but not all. Looking askance at offal , he would do away with surly , and happily explains why. Thomas points out that children make language, citing a grandson's amusing coinage. Commenting that a universal language is probably inevitable, he briefly inquires into the Gaia theory (Planet Earth as living organism). These and other minor excursions are firmly tied to his overall theme: language not only binds and unites us, it is what makes us unique. Thomas's gentle ruminations will be enjoyed by those who share his etymological enchantment.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Well known as a writer about science ( The Lives of a Cell, 1974; The Medusa and the Snail, LJ 4/15/79), Thomas has applied his probing mind to etymology, here tracing English words back to their Indo-European, Greek, Sanskrit, Anglo-Saxon, Latin, or Romance language variants in both form and meaning. Although Thomas surely enjoyed the hunt, the reader is presented with a hodgepodge of words not easily remembered in chapters entitled "Sew, Bear, Brother, Dew etc.," "Fastidious, Answer, Grammar etc.," and "Scrutiny, Frenetic, Bother, Stop etc." This thin volume is not thorough enough to be an etymological reference and not interesting enough to be entertaining for word fanciers.
- Kitty Chen Dean, Nassau Coll., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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