The Linguist

@Linguist_CIOL AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 25 SECTION HEADER REVIEWS Top picks Our regular reviewer, Graham Elliott, discusses the books that have most influenced him through his life To a teacher developing a wider interest in language, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (3rd ed, 2010) was a trove of insights. If I wanted to know about signing, twin talk, acoustics, graphology or Japanese onomatopoeia, it was the best place to start. Even a few minutes of idle browsing was rewarding. Its 'sequel', The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (3rd ed, 2018), is narrower in focus, but deeper and sharper in analysis. It charts the evolution from Anglo-Saxon to the world's lingua franca, and features much besides. Illustrations and captions add to the enjoyment. Both books are written by David Crystal, doyen of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. A 'circuit breaker' is a measure taken against the Covid epidemic. Known elsewhere as 'fire breaker' or 'wave breaker', the aim is to control the infection rate. Such imagery makes language more vivid and memorable. In Metaphors We Live By (1980), George Lakoff and Mark Johnson believe that metaphors also structure our understanding of the world. Illness is an 'enemy' to be 'beaten'; its pain may be 'crushing'; the 'journey' metaphor abounds. Politicians, pollsters, academics and others use them to frame discourse (and rebut critics). Steven Pinker has done much to popularise the theory of Universal Grammar (UG). He sets out his ideas in The Language Instinct (1995), a lucid and persuasive account of language evolution. The metaphor for the human brain and instinct in question is a Swiss Army knife and one of its tools: compartmentalised, developed specifically, nestling alongside other functions. The themes of adaptability and expressive power are further developed in Words and Rules (1999). The companion book to a 15-part series on philosophy for the BBC, Men of Ideas (1978) features one-to-one discussions between presenter Bryan Magee and an eminent philosopher. John Searle proposes that meaning and use – not truth – are central to the analysis of everyday language. Noam Chomsky gives an exposition of early UG: what it was against (behaviourism) and what it seeks to explain (a genetic endowment for acquiring one's mother tongue). Iris Murdoch stipulates the difference between fiction and philosophy: the former entertains and mystifies; the latter explains and clarifies. Her aperçus on writers, style, personality, criticism and art are outstanding. The format returned with The Great Philosophers (1987). Graham Elliott MCIL Across 1 See 12 and 13 across. (6) 4 One of the five official languages of the UN. (6) 9 Procrastinator. (7) 10 The word for 'snow' is aput in this language family. (5) 11 Boudicca was the leader of this tribe. (5) 12 Do widzenia in 1 across. (7) 13 Dzien dobry in 1 across. (4,7) 18 Capital resident who drops 'is aitches. (7) 20 Expressing strong agreement, 18 across might say 'I should _____'. (5) 22 Romance languages developed from a vulgar form of this language. (5) 23 How a Basque native refers to her homeland. (7) 24 Official language of one of the four provinces of Pakistan, named after the River Indus. (6) 25 Official language of Afghanistan. (6) Down 1 A grammatically simplified means of communication. (6) 2 French city where Picard is still spoken. (5) 3 Unable to progress. (7) 5 Money (coll.). (5) 6 A royal dynasty in France and Spain. (7) 7 Small lamb chop. (6) 8 Cave dwellers; species of wren. (11) 14 Frédéric Mistral was the most famous writer in this language. (7) 15 English name of what the Greeks call Lefkosia. (7) 16 Eye-like architectural feature, as seen in the Pantheon in Rome. (6) 17 The US used speakers of this Native American language to protect communications in WWII. (6) 19 Ode to Joy is the fourth movement of this Beethoven symphony. (5) 21 Language which gave us the robot. (5) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Crossword no.29 Solution, page 26

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