- Paperback: 669 pages
- Publisher: The Merlin Press Ltd; New edition edition (7 May 1987)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0850363500
- ISBN-13: 978-0850363500
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.6 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 508,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence
WHAT language we habitually speak depends upon a geographical accident. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
WHAT language we habitually speak depends upon a geographical accident. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is marvellous. As a linguist, I highly commend and indeed recommend this book. The reviews above certainly don't do it justice, but then this one doesn't either. It's not a rambly "this is how English was synthesised" book like "The Adventure of English", at all. It's more of a textbook. It aims to give the reader the key to learning all Romance languages as a one-er, using their similarities and differences as a useful tool for learning rather than a hinderence. It does the same with Teutonic languages, and how they all do the same, in their own way. From this 669pp book, one can easily learn the core matter of French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (on the Romance side of things) and German, Dutch, Danish, and Swedish (on the Teutonic). However, it also gives excellent insights into languages as varied as Latin, Greek, Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, Icelandic, Esperanto, etc. It covers the web of vocabulary, the web of grammar, and all that holds the dynamic world of languages together.
I have many many language / linguistic textbooks, this is by far my most prized one. Well, no, it's my favourite one. Not my most prized, because it's freely available to re-purchase, should anything happen to my copy. My most prized ones are old, yellowed, out of print, and irreplaceable ;) But this is the _best_ book. A must have for any linguist, whether professional / student / lay interest.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For a book that was revised in 1972 and published in 1985 by Norton, the positive comments above fail to mention that Bodmer's 'Language Museum' alone is filled with lexical mistakes and spelling inaccuracies. For instance, 'særskilt' in Danish does not mean 'especially' as its Swedish cognate does (särskilt). It means 'separately'. The word Bodmer was presumably looking for is 'særligt' . The Italian word for 'omit' is 'omettere' (not ommettere). By the same token, it is interesting to see how Bodmer randomly picks Italian cognates that rank low on the frequency scale such as 'ammogliarsi/maritarsi' (instead of 'sposarsi') when 'accasarsi' would have fit quite nicely next to its Spanish and Portuguese near equivalents.
This books screams for rigorous proofing and a less haphazard approach to the Romance and Scandinavian languages.
This books screams for rigorous proofing and a less haphazard approach to the Romance and Scandinavian languages.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is written as an analysis of the english language and it's roots.
Through analysing the roots of our language and drawing parallels between it and its european language family (focusing on the Romance and Germanic groups, including the Celtic and Slavonic), it leads you into greater language awareness. As your knowledge of common roots and variance of structure seeps in, direct translation becomes easier, learning several languages at once becomes a distinct possibility, and a holistic appreciation for the nuance of communication is fostered.
Useful as an etymological reference book, a grand scale language learning guide, and student of English language.
Priceless!
Through analysing the roots of our language and drawing parallels between it and its european language family (focusing on the Romance and Germanic groups, including the Celtic and Slavonic), it leads you into greater language awareness. As your knowledge of common roots and variance of structure seeps in, direct translation becomes easier, learning several languages at once becomes a distinct possibility, and a holistic appreciation for the nuance of communication is fostered.
Useful as an etymological reference book, a grand scale language learning guide, and student of English language.
Priceless!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Loom of Language by Fred Bodmer
I remember this book from my mid-teens in the 1950s. It awakened my interest in foreign languages, which I then went on to study at university level. Read more
Published 7 months ago by groovyguzi
There are far better books than this.
The Loom of Language is outmoded, and in some places clearly wrong. The book is highly eurocentric and over-simplistic. Read more
Published on 28 May 2004 by G Hughes
The Loom of Language
Provides an interesting look at how languages (specifically English) have evolved from other languages. Compares English to Romance, Slavonic, Teutonic and Nordic languages. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2003
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