Synopsis
The author views language as complex systems of grammar and human behavior and demonstrates the ways in which they interact through extensive examples
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap
Why do certain words make us blush or wince? Why do men and women really speak different languages? Why do nursery rhymes in vastly different societies possess similar rhyme and rhythm patterns? What do slang, riddles and puns secretly have in common?
This erudite yet irresistibly readable book examines the game of language: its players, strategies, and hidden rules. Drawing on the most fascinating linguistic studies--and touching on everything from the Marx Brothers to linguistic sexism, from the phenomenon of glossolalia to Apache names for automobile parts--Word Play shows what really happens when people talk, no matter what language they happen to be using.
"A captivating, almost entirely unpedantic book...solidly founded in scholarship, love of language, and an unabashed worldliness about play itself."--Washington Post
"Absorbing...so curious, amusing, and enlightening...we almost inadvertently learn a great deal about linguistics. [But] it seems scarcely to matter what we've learned...we've simply had too much fun."--The New York Times
About the Author
Peter Farb’s early work in the comparative study of Mediterranean languages, as well as his research collecting folk ballads and various styles of speech in isolated communities in the American South, led to a distinguished career in anthropological linguistics, where he specialized in remote, non-European languages. His extensive knowledge of a variety of American Indian languages—in North America as well as in Mexico, Central America, and Brazil—produced two best-selling books, Man’s Rise to Civilization as Shown by the Indians of North America and Face of North America. His various works have been translated into 14 languages.Mr. Farb served as a consultant at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and as curator of American Indian Cultures at the Riverside Museum in New York City.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for Word Play: What Happens When People Talk
Stock Image
Word Play: What Happens When People Talk
Seller: Your Online Bookstore, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. Seller Inventory # 0394486757-4-21913580
Stock Image
Word Play
Published by
Random House Children's Books, 1973
ISBN 10: 0394486757
ISBN 13: 9780394486758
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. 1st. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 15539256-20
Stock Image
Word Play
Published by
Random House Children's Books, 1973
ISBN 10: 0394486757
ISBN 13: 9780394486758
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. 1st. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 16170457-6
Stock Image
Word Play: What Happens When People Talk
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0394486757I3N00
Stock Image
Word Play: What Happens When People Talk
Seller: Drew, Hutchinson, KS, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: VeryGood. Seller Inventory # 58W000000EH4_ns
Stock Image
Word Play; What Happens When People Talk
Published by
Random House (NY) January 1974, 1974
ISBN 10: 0394486757
ISBN 13: 9780394486758
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Isle of Books, Bozeman, MT, U.S.A.
Seller rating 3 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Seller Inventory # 534313
Stock Image
Word Play- What Happens When People Talk
Published by
Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1974
ISBN 10: 0394486757
ISBN 13: 9780394486758
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: janet smith, Wheeling, WV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Cloth. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. First Edition. No markings. DJ scuffed at edges and one tear in spine area. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 006738
Seller Image
Word Play: What Happens When People Talk
Published by
Random House Inc, Westminster, Maryland, 1974
ISBN 10: 0394486757
ISBN 13: 9780394486758
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Henniker Book Farm and Gifts, Henniker, NH, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Very Good/Very Good condition. Minor dimpling on the back side of the dust jacket. No internal markings of any kind. First Edition. Slight curling to boards.; 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 12981
Stock Image
Word Play: What Happens When People Talk
Published by
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1974
ISBN 10: 0394486757
ISBN 13: 9780394486758
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Top Notch Books, Tolar, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hard Cover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. First Edition. 364 pp. Maroon cloth boards are lightly scuffed. Page edges are foxed. Text is clean with no markings, binding is sound. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 000273
Stock Image
Word Play: What Happens When People Talk
Published by
Random House Inc, 1974
ISBN 10: 0394486757
ISBN 13: 9780394486758
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: FITZ BOOKS AND WAFFLES, Buffalo, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Previous owners name marked in pen on first blank page, otherwise an unmarked and undamaged copy with an intact dust jacket. Category: Literature. Seller Inventory # ABE-1757977275861