Nathan Bierma reviewed Anatoly Liberman's book, "An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology: An Introduction." Bierma seems to revere Liberman as he is always referring to him in his language columns. Of Liberman, Bierma says:
quote:
So Liberman, a Russian native and longtime professor of German philology at the University of Minnesota, offers his own book as an extended commentary on tricky etymologies, tackling 55 puzzling words.
Regarding the book:
quote:
Liberman's attention to detail makes his "Analytic Dictionary" a monumental achievement—-and he hopes it's only a start.
"I think I will have to write about 500 or 600 English words without known cognates [relatives], which means seven or eight volumes like the one I have now brought out," he writes by e-mail.
Liberman reviews 55 words in this book, which costs $50...about $1 per word. I hope it's good!
Here's Bierma's review, along with some examples from Liberman's book.
I agree, though Shu is stuck on the fact that he only talks about 55 words, and the book costs $50. I guess I'll have to read it in the library or the book store.
Well, of course, I said that with tongue in cheek. On the other hand, Shu still thinks paperbacks should cost $4.95, hardcovers $9.95, and neckties $10.
A book such as this would not be expected to sell many copies, so the publisher would have a shorter press run and the cost per book is therefore higher. If each of us buys a copy and it goes into a second printing because of its popularity, we can make the book more accessible to the next generation of its readers!
Wordmatic
Ascriptivism is a viable alternative.
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