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laurasauras's review against another edition
5.0
An incredibly accessible and fascinating introduction to invented languages. At times while reading this I alternatively felt inspired to learn Esperanto, watch every movie and episode of Star Trek, and invent my own language. I still can't quite believe how friendly I feel with the author. I wish every non-fiction book I found in the library after a research spiral was as engaging and lovely as this one was.
teokajlibroj's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I flew right through it, its a fascinating and easy read. I have an interest in invented languages and Okrent gives a good tour of them.
paulinetete8's review
5.0
I never would have picked up a book on invented languages if I had't had to read it for a class, so I was surprised when this book turned out to be incredibly entertaining and funny. If you've ever wondered why people would bother to learn made-up languages such a Klingon and Esperanto, or why some invented languages are successful while others aren't, this book is for you. Here are a few fun facts I learned about invented languages:
- In Esperanto, "krokodili" (to crocodile) means speaking in your national language at an Esperanto event, and it is derogatory
- The international youth organization keeps a list of Esperantists around the world who will host other Esperantists, so basically, if you speak Esperanto, you can be hosted all around the world for free
-The inventor of Blissymbolics, Charles Bliss, was not happy to see his language altered by a school teacher using it to teach non-verbal children how to speak, and he wrote her this letter: " A merry Christmas to you, peace on earth and Good Will to all Men. Yes, Good Will to all Men, but not to a woman, Mrs McNaughton. She's trying to kill me, make me drop dead so she can take over, but im not going to [...]."
-When Hebrew, a formerly dead language, started getting revived, many common, everyday words didn't exist and had to be created, which resulted in different speakers using different artificially-created words for the same things, and was very annoying for the speakers
Overall, this book was not only well-written, full of fun facts and entertaining, but it also contained a lot of precise, clear and concise information about the main invented languages, their purpose, who speaks them and why. It's the kind of non-fiction book of which you actually remember the content.
- In Esperanto, "krokodili" (to crocodile) means speaking in your national language at an Esperanto event, and it is derogatory
- The international youth organization keeps a list of Esperantists around the world who will host other Esperantists, so basically, if you speak Esperanto, you can be hosted all around the world for free
-The inventor of Blissymbolics, Charles Bliss, was not happy to see his language altered by a school teacher using it to teach non-verbal children how to speak, and he wrote her this letter: " A merry Christmas to you, peace on earth and Good Will to all Men. Yes, Good Will to all Men, but not to a woman, Mrs McNaughton. She's trying to kill me, make me drop dead so she can take over, but im not going to [...]."
-When Hebrew, a formerly dead language, started getting revived, many common, everyday words didn't exist and had to be created, which resulted in different speakers using different artificially-created words for the same things, and was very annoying for the speakers
Overall, this book was not only well-written, full of fun facts and entertaining, but it also contained a lot of precise, clear and concise information about the main invented languages, their purpose, who speaks them and why. It's the kind of non-fiction book of which you actually remember the content.
emily_madcharo's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
sara_shocks's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, informative look at what languages are and what they aren't
langreader's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.75
Amazing read if you like conlangs
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
curlypip's review
2.0
Meh. Not as exciting or as easy to read as I expected, although there were some interesting parts (a reward for persevering to the end and reading about Tolkien and Klingon).
I especially liked the Láadan language invented in the 1980s by a women, for all women. There are some great words in there, such a single word to encompass the idea of a festive or holiday period which is intended to be restful but is actually anything but when you are responsible for all the preparations for it, or, a single word to describe guests who know they are being intrusive but continue to stay and visit anyway.
I especially liked the Láadan language invented in the 1980s by a women, for all women. There are some great words in there, such a single word to encompass the idea of a festive or holiday period which is intended to be restful but is actually anything but when you are responsible for all the preparations for it, or, a single word to describe guests who know they are being intrusive but continue to stay and visit anyway.
thymeiord's review
funny
informative
fast-paced
5.0
This was a very fun read about language nerds, and also serves as a fantastic introduction to the field of linguistics.
cathyatratedreads's review
4.0
For a book that's obviously written by a very smart woman with a good deal of education, this is a really accessible and clearly explained book on language. It's fairly easy to read and to understand, and it's also amusing. Lots of interesting information. I had to read several passages aloud to my husband -- like about Klingon speakers and about J.R.R. Tolkien writing his books to be able to include the Elven (Elfish?) languages he had spent years creating.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/land-invented-languages-nonfiction-book-review/
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/land-invented-languages-nonfiction-book-review/