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A review by 333_lucy_333
Every Word Is a Bird We Teach to Sing: Encounters with the Mysteries and Meanings of Language by Daniel Tammet
5.0
Interest: 9/10 stars
I might be a little biased because I'm interested in the mechanics of language, but this book is just so interesting. Its multilingual perspective pushes past mere English, so we get the full understanding of what language is. He investigates many topics, too, from translation to the linguistics of telephone calls, so the reader never grows bored.
Pacing: 10/10 stars
Each chapter was perfectly paced, in my opinion. He lingers where necessary, but he does not drag things out. They're also just the perfect length to read in one sitting, and since each chapter is basically unconnected to the last, it can be read like a literary journal.
Writing/structure: 8/10 stars
I really liked the writing style in this. Direct, clear, but not boring. Tammet has a way of conveying his thoughts in such a pleasant way.
The only reason this doesn't have nine stars is because of the chapter in which he doesn't use the letter "e." Yes, it's a fun little challenge, but that chapter was annoying to read since things were mostly unclear and jumbled.
Enjoyability: 9/10 stars
The combination of intrigue, clear writing, and fantastic pacing made this book so much fun to read. Tammet picks his topics expertly, as well, and develops them with ease.
Multilingual: 10/10 stars
Like I mentioned earlier, this book is written from a multilingual perspective. It makes the book's dialogue all the more interesting because we learn of fundamentally different ways of speaking. My favorite chapter might be on the translation of the Bible for specifically that reason; Tammet writes about a culture with a language that didn't even have an alphabet, and then Christian missionaries integrated themselves into the village culture to learn their language (by the way, this is a recent story, like within the last handful of decades). It was so intriguing to read about the language and how people develop understandings of one another.
(9+10+8+9+10)/50 =
4.6 stars, rounded up
I might be a little biased because I'm interested in the mechanics of language, but this book is just so interesting. Its multilingual perspective pushes past mere English, so we get the full understanding of what language is. He investigates many topics, too, from translation to the linguistics of telephone calls, so the reader never grows bored.
Pacing: 10/10 stars
Each chapter was perfectly paced, in my opinion. He lingers where necessary, but he does not drag things out. They're also just the perfect length to read in one sitting, and since each chapter is basically unconnected to the last, it can be read like a literary journal.
Writing/structure: 8/10 stars
I really liked the writing style in this. Direct, clear, but not boring. Tammet has a way of conveying his thoughts in such a pleasant way.
The only reason this doesn't have nine stars is because of the chapter in which he doesn't use the letter "e." Yes, it's a fun little challenge, but that chapter was annoying to read since things were mostly unclear and jumbled.
Enjoyability: 9/10 stars
The combination of intrigue, clear writing, and fantastic pacing made this book so much fun to read. Tammet picks his topics expertly, as well, and develops them with ease.
Multilingual: 10/10 stars
Like I mentioned earlier, this book is written from a multilingual perspective. It makes the book's dialogue all the more interesting because we learn of fundamentally different ways of speaking. My favorite chapter might be on the translation of the Bible for specifically that reason; Tammet writes about a culture with a language that didn't even have an alphabet, and then Christian missionaries integrated themselves into the village culture to learn their language (by the way, this is a recent story, like within the last handful of decades). It was so intriguing to read about the language and how people develop understandings of one another.
(9+10+8+9+10)/50 =
4.6 stars, rounded up