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Unfortunately, given my lack of linguistic knowledge I did not understand much of the terminology throughout his more academic papers such as "Some Verbal Categories of Hopi" or "Gestalt Technique of Stem Composition in Shawnee". Nevertheless there is plenty to read which discusses languages without too much academic terminology, although there is always some. His most interesting reads are the more general ones such as "Language, Mind and Reality" or "Language and Logic".
Whorf makes the fascinating assertion, new for his time, that the language we speak, to some degree at least, forces us to orient our view of the world in a certain direction, for example the noun based structure of Indo-European languages forces it into considering the world as made up of interacting fixed parts whereas Hopi doesn't even have a tense system and doesn't consider the past or the future and sees events as either manifest or unmanifest. A completely different way of viewing the world and yet possessing its own internal logic and ability to express whatever is necessary. This is something Whorf stresses throughout and the so-called `primitive' languages of for example, the native Americans, is far from this western perspective. In fact Hopi stands out as being a language ideally suited to the new physics.
Whorf really lives in two worlds regarding his linguistic studies 1. the fascinating metaphysical world of language constructions throughout the world, i.e. the world view generated by these languages and 2. the strict linguistic approach to languages with its own very formal and structured method to analyse languages, see for example the formulaic approach for one-syllable English words in the paper entitled "Linguistics as an Exact Science".
This book is worth it as no doubt the one by Sapir as well.
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My point is that this book contributed more to my understanding of logic and wordplay than several semesters of college philosophy classes. If you've read this far then I am probably preaching to the choir but 'Alice in Wonderland' can hardly be classified as a childrens' book, dispite Disney's attempts to do so. The concepts Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner bring to this tale cover such areas as set theory, meta-language, Aristotelian logic, topography, game theory, several pre-Socratic logic paradoxes, and even quantum physics. Yet John Tenniel's original illustrations remain as an welcome tether to the original publication.
Gardner does a wonderful job of bringing all the various aspects of these two stories together as he illuminates layer upon layer of meaning that might not be evident to an American audience or, for that matter, a 21st century one. My favorite gems are the French and German translations of The Jabberwocky.
This book ranks in my top five favorite books of all time.
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This is one of the funniest books about time travel I have read. It's about disillusionment, finding yourself, trying to work out who you are, and making amends. Karl Glogauer is a man full of social failings. A victim who is mixed up, confused and uncertain. The problem is he hates himself, and can't accept the good things other people see in him.
Before I had heard of this book I had my own theory that Jesus might have been a time traveller from the future, say the 28th century. He would have had all sorts of advanced technology to make it look like he was performing miracles, such as a pair of hover boots to make it look like he was walking on water. Or genetically modifying five loaves and two fishes to feed thousands. His claim to be the son of God would have been the ultimate hoax.
The time traveller in "Behold the Man" is from the 20th century and takes on the role of Jesus rather reluctantly. He utters prophecies that are uncannily accurate (he's read it all in a book), and he "heals" those whose afflictions are purely psychosomatic. All the quotations in the bible are based on Karl's actions. The things Karl does will be interpreted down the centuries, affecting the lives of millions.
This is a wonderfully iconoclastic work, full of mocking wit. I finished reading it the same day I bought it, it's not a very long book. It really makes you think about destiny and what we're all about.
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I love the illustrations in the original versions---and HATE the later illustrations that were done as the book was published over and over. In fact, I once tried to read a copy from the 1980's but I couldn't go on with it because the pictures were bothering me. Luckily, there's really only one freaky illustration in the original version, and that's the picture where Alice's neck is very long. It's a bit disturbing.
But the book is well written and a good adventure story, too.
I love the characters. They're very interesting.
"'Well, then,' the Cat went on, 'you see a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.'"
- "The Chesire Cat", Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
Come to think of it, the Chesire cat illustration is actually quite creepy as well. But it's not a big deal or anything.
The whole book's just weird fun. Where in the world did Mr. Carroll think of all this? The Mad Hatter? The Queen of Hearts? The Duchess and her pig baby?
Alice herself is a considerably strange character.
All in all, aside from a couple of creepy illustrations, the book is wonderful. Everyone should read it once in their lifetime---it's worth it.
Enter Wonderland.
Absolutely no plot, no direction, no point. Lot's of silly nonsense but in spite of, or maybe because of this, it is very enjoyable. You literally never know what's going to happen next. After reading this book, I realized just how much my own dreams... Unforgettable characters, who can ever forget the cheshire cat or the caterpillar, jokes, interesting supplementary drawings, and puns keep you on your toes.
This is really not for kiddies. Sure they can read it and maybe even enjoy it, but cannot fully appreciate it. A masterpiece, a classic, but more importantly, an enjoyable experience.
Don't forget to read Through the Looking Glass! Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, the Walrus and the Carpenter, and "Jabberwocky" don't pop up in Alice in Wonderland but Through the Looking Glass. Although "Jabberwocky" didn't appear in the movie, it's still a classic. Finally, an explanation of this ever-puzzling poem! And of course, "I am the Walrus" is one of my favorite all-time songs...
One of those books that you can read over and over again and find something new each time. Definitely an essential. The most fun I have ever had with a book. If you've ever been cursed enough to watch the movie but never read the book, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! (and for those of you who have read it, READ IT AGAIN! )
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(I'm so cool.)
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I just wish there were more classics in German on Amazon.
A paragraph from the back cover:
The Translation of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has always presented a special problem. The humor, popular children's verses, songs and especially the puns were thought at first to make it untranslatable. The problem was solved by Antonie Zimmermann with the-hearty approval of Carroll-by substituting popular German children's verses and puns for the English originals. "How Doth the Little Crocodile?" for instance, is turned into a parody of a German Romantic ballad. All in all, this is still the best of the 15 or more German Translations.
The Dover edition has held up well. Mine was printed in 1974 and has not started to yellow.
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I'm just finishing a 10 x 20 room addition for a customer. I purchased this book at the beginning of this project and have found Mr. Carroll's book refreshing and informative. There were many ideas and suggestions that were benificial. I found the rafter layout-jig very useful.
His suggestions about the "math" of the rafter was very useful, and increased my capacity to complete the job in a timely maner which helped my bottom line.
I appreciated his easy reading style and found his book enjoyable.
I wish his information on the cornice system had been a little more detailed, but found his explanations sufficent.
I found his information about clamps and holding jigs to be of special interest and enjoyed all of his book. I even bought his other book, "Measuring, Marking, and Layout", which I also found enlighting, enjoyable, fun, and benificial, to my professional standing as a remodeler.
Thanks for two great books, that help take the mystery out of some of the more complex parts of our profession.
Respectfully
Reeder Lyons IMH Remodeling & Repair