The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax and Other Irreverent Essays on the Study of Language

by Geoffrey K. Pullum

Book Overview

How reliable are all those stories about the number of Eskimo words for snow? How can lamps, flags, and parrots be libelous? How might Star Trek's Commander Spock react to Noam Chomsky's theories of language? These and many other odd questions are typical topics in this collection of essays that present an occasionally zany, often wry, but always fascinating look at language and the people who study it.

Geoffrey K. Pullum's writings began as...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226685349
• ISBN13: 9780226685342
• Release Date: July 1991
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Funny and devastating look into the culture of linguistics

You do not need to be a linguist to enjoy this funny, barbed, and acerbic look at the practice and culture of linquistics. If you are interested in studying linguistics, this is not a bad place to start. If you are a linguist, you will alternately wince and cheer at Pullum's observations.And if you want to know whether one of the Eskimo languages has more words for snow than, say, English, here's the definitive and surprising answer.

one of the funniest 'academic' books i've read

I had this professor for my introduction to UNIX course at UC Santa Cruz. After the class, I noticed this book in the bookstore, and immediately purchased a copy.I loved the Chomsky vs. the Vulcan thing :)The linguistic concepts were a bit beyond me, but i loved the article about how linguistic journals correct (incorrectly) the grammar *of linguists*. And the English First article really shows the idiocity and lack of lingustic understanding among the general public. I'm starting to wonder if every academic discipline is misunderstood by the faceless "general public" ... and if so how I can reconcile this with my professed belief in the "inherent worth and dignity of every person."Anyways, other interested pieces included a fictious piece where each division on campus is vying for the linguistics department to be moved under their jurisdiction, the eskimo vocabulary hoax piece of course, and just the overall tone and stuff. I highly recommend this if you like linguistics, or even if you don't like linguistics but like academic books with a sense of humor ;)

Amusing essays on language

The author wrote a column for _Natural Language and Linguistic Theory_ for six years; this book collects them, with new prefaces to each essay. The tone is light, often frivolous, sometimes bitchy, occasionally educational, and always entertaining. The title essay demolishes the idea that Eskimos have many words for snow (there are two), and traces the myth's origin. Others contain a dialogue between Noam Chomsky (the linguist) and Spock (the Vulcan); a discussion of perverse punctuation (which many newsgroup writers would do well to read); a searing but hilarious attack on the English First people ("Here Come the Linguistic Fascists"); and "Some Lists of Things About Books" (my favorite: "Four Extraordinarily Ignorant Claims About Language in Books by Linguists"; all four come from the same book). Some of the humor is too linguistics-insider to be easily deciphered, but for the most part this is a highly amusing bunch of little articles from somebody who clearly loves language, and is fortunately willing to share his love with us.