Πριν έρθει η ώρα να απολαύσω το βιβλίο, απόλαυσα την παρουσίασή του, στην εφημερίδα Times από τον Henry Hitching (ευχαριστώ, Αλέξανδρε):
David Crystal, language geek
Linguistic memoirs – with a whiff of anorak
Από την αυτοβιογραφία του Κρίσταλ:
Από το βιβλίο (μπορείτε να διαβάσετε μερικές σελίδες στο Amazon):
Being a linguist
[…]
It's not as if it’s the most obvious label for a way of earning a living, after all. Indeed, it’s a succulent irony that the very nature of the profession which has come to be known as ‘the science of language’ is itself ambiguous.
Και μια κλασική (πιο κλασική δεν γίνεται) παρατήρηση του Χίτσινγκ:
David Crystal, language geek
Linguistic memoirs – with a whiff of anorak
Από την αυτοβιογραφία του Κρίσταλ:
The author’s generous, slightly puckish manner is audible in the anecdotes that appear throughout this volume. While working on the Survey of English Usage under Randolph Quirk, he took a telephone call from someone who claimed to work at a smart London shoe shop. The caller wished to order some adjectives for a new batch of marketing material. Assuming he was on the receiving end of an academic wind-up, Crystal proposed selling him three dozen adjectives at threepence a go, along with two dozen each of nouns, verbs and adverbs – the verbs at a stiff ninepence apiece. Two days later, the order was confirmed by post. After a selection had with some sheepishness been put together and dispatched, a cheque for £2 followed.
Από το βιβλίο (μπορείτε να διαβάσετε μερικές σελίδες στο Amazon):
Being a linguist
[…]
It's not as if it’s the most obvious label for a way of earning a living, after all. Indeed, it’s a succulent irony that the very nature of the profession which has come to be known as ‘the science of language’ is itself ambiguous.
‘What do you do?’
‘I’m a linguist.’
‘Ah. And how many languages do you speak?’
‘Do you mean really fluently?’
‘Of course.’
‘Just one.’
‘But you said you were a linguist!’
‘I’m a linguist.’
‘Ah. And how many languages do you speak?’
‘Do you mean really fluently?’
‘Of course.’
‘Just one.’
‘But you said you were a linguist!’
Και μια κλασική (πιο κλασική δεν γίνεται) παρατήρηση του Χίτσινγκ:
When it comes to staking out his legacy, the author is predictably modest. He mentions “Crystal’s Law”, which sounds as though it should be a distillation of his many discernments, yet is actually this: “when you randomly open a new book or journal, you will immediately see an uncorrected typo”. Not exactly a maxim to grace a portico. But it is borne out here: casually opening Crystal’s own book, I come across the question “Was Beethoven handicapped by deadness?”.
;)