Language is the most human invention. Spontaneous, unruly, passionate, and erratic it resists every attempt to discipline or regularize it--a history celebrated here in all its irreverent glory. Language is a wild thing. It is vague and anarchic. Style, meaning, and usage are continually on the move. Throughout history, for every mutation, idiosyncrasy, and ubiquitous mistake, there have been countervailing rules, pronouncements and systems making some attempt to bring language to heel. From the utopian language-builder to the stereotypical grammatical stickler to the programmer trying to teach a computer to translate, Lane Greene takes the reader through a multi-disciplinary survey of the many different ways in which we attempt to control language, exploring the philosophies, motivations, and complications of each. The result is a highly readable caper that covers history, linguistics, politics, and grammar with the ease and humor of a dinner party anecdote. Talk on the Wild Side is both a guide to the great debates and controversies of usage, and a love letter to language itself. Holding it together is Greene's infectious enthusiasm for his subject. While you can walk away with the finer points of who says "whom" and the strange history of "buxom" schoolboys, most of all, it inspires awe in language itself: for its elegance, resourcefulness, and power.

Talk on the Wild Side: Why Language Can't Be Tamed

Politics & Social Sciences

Greene, Lane

Social Sciences

The Economist

A brand-new edition of this classic guide on how to write with style—from The Economist's language columnist, Lane Greene.\nThis new edition of Writing with Style offers fresh, up-to-date insight into the principles and tools we can all deploy when it comes to expressing ourselves better when we write. The book's leaner, cleaner structure ranges widely—from grammar and punctuation to using numbers and how to edit. Economist language columnist Lane Greene also tackles some of the key linguistic issues we face today, like balancing plain speech with sensitivity, and knowing when to use jargon.\nThe result is a clear guide to making the most of the written word: conversational but authoritative; accessible yet comprehensive—with its ideas always presented with clarity and style.

Writing with Style: The Economist Guide (Economist Books)

Reference

Words, Language & Grammar

The Economist Books, an imprint of Pegasus Books

Talk on the Wild Side: The Untameable Nature of Language

Language is a wild animal: rough, ambiguous, inconsistent in countless ways. But that just makes it all the more tempting to tame it. Many have tried, from sticklers for supposedly correct grammar to inventors of supposedly perfect languages; from software engineers working on machine translation to governments that see language management as politics by another means. But when you enter the lair of a wild beast, you can be lucky to escape with your wits. 
Join Lane Greene on a journey of discovery into the deep strangeness of language. Learn why grammar rules can never capture the extraordinary variety of ordinary usage. See what happens when you try to design a language that really makes sense. Find out why, for all the talk of decline in English, no language in recorded history has ever gone to the dogs, or ever could. And learn the fate of those bold individuals who, through heroism or ignorance, ventured to teach their tongue some new tricks.

History

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Economist Books

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