WC admin has invited us to post here on our new title Far from the Madding Gerund and Other Dispatches from Language Log, by Geoffrey Pullum and Mark Liberman.

This book contains 139 of the best posts from Language Log. Like the blog, this book champions linguistic descriptivism for readers who needn’t know the term.

“What you won't find are rants about the sorry state of proper standard English in America. Linguists tend to be more interested in observing how words are used than in complaining about what they hear” - (Chicago Tribune).

We are a small, independent publishing house. Our editor Tom Sumner, a former high school English teacher and dedicated fan of Language Log, created the idea for the book. We hope to bring Madding Gerund and Language Log to the attention of linguistics fans and potential linguistics fans everywhere. We hope you enjoy the fruits of these labors.

Posted with my approval. I look forward to reading it.
- WC

Michael Quinion has a review of this blook [sic] on World Wide Words. It looks good to me!

I've started to read the book and feel that someone needs to issue a word of caution. So, here's my word of caution.

If you are one of the few remaining unfortunate souls who believe that Strunk and White has some merit you should approach this volume with extreme care and a ready supply of blood-pressure medication. The authors go well beyond scathing in the scorn they pour on "The Strunk And White Little Book of Crap".

From the little I've read so far it looks like a cracking read. I especially like the inclusion of so many of the original blog links. I followed a couple up. They are as much fun as the book itself.

Thanks wordcrafter for allowing an advertising post.

I absolutely want to read it. I love the Language Log and particularly Geoffrey Pullum.

Hmm - my library doesn't have it, which isn't really surprising if it's a small press. I'll put in a request that we purchase a few copies for the system . . .

For real fun we ought to read this side-by-side with Fiske's Dictionary of Disagreeable English which is a hoot to read and takes the exact opposite point of view. That would spark some excellent discussions, I think. Any takers??

The Fiske book is only $10.99 soft or $12.99 hardcover from Amazon.

quote:

Originally posted by Beth:
For real fun we ought to read this side-by-side with Fiske's Dictionary of Disagreeable English which is a hoot to read and takes the exact opposite point of view. That would spark some excellent discussions, I think. Any takers??

The Fiske book is only $10.99 soft or $12.99 hardcover from Amazon.

If I can get Fiske's book from the library, yeah. I wouldn't buy it.

You can read the introduction and the first few entries in Fiske's book on Amazon. This passage from the introduction demonstrates just how little he knows about the subject he thinks he's an expert in:

quote:

Dictionaries acknowledge the errors that people make; by acknowledging them they, in effect, endorse them; by endorsing them, they are thought correct by the dull, duped public. Ultimately, all words will mean whatever we think they mean, indeed, whatever we want them to mean.

Sigh. I bought Fiske's book a while back, but it's hard going for a linguist, reading it. Luckily I bought it used.