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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

433.0. "Word Play" by CLARID::PETERS (E Unibus Plurum) Fri Nov 13 1987 10:48

About 10 years ago I read a book called Word Play, by Peter Farb.
Does anyone know of (or have) a copy? If so could you let me know the
publisher and ISBN reference number, as I would like to order it.

It was about the use of words in different languages, structures, origins,
how the vocabulary and grammar reflect and perhaps condition the societies
that use them etc etc, I found it both fascinating and amusing.

If there are any other references on this subject I'd be interested in them
too.

	Thanks
		Steve
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433.1Hmmm, sounds familiar.NATASH::AIKENWhat cheer, Netop?Fri Nov 13 1987 16:136
    Was it Word Play or Words At Play?
    
    I have the latter buried in a pile of boxes filled with books waiting
    for me to build the shelves on which to put them.
    
    
433.2Play on words?CLARID::PETERSE Unibus PlurumMon Nov 16 1987 06:469
re .1

>    Was it Word Play or Words At Play?
    
What I remember was Word Play, but it has been about 10 years! If you do
unearth your copy could you let me know more about it please.

	Steve

433.3WORD PLAYSOFBAS::RENOA moment in the soul can live foreverThu Nov 19 1987 12:5610
    It is Word Play, but I haven't seen my copy around the house in
    a few years, either.
    
    Why can't you just order it in a bookstore with the author's name?
    
    btw:  It *was* a very interesting book.  May even try to get another
    copy of it myself.
      
    -d
      
433.4And the answer is...HPSRAD::SPEAKELuck is the residue of design.Sat Nov 28 1987 21:3920
    Just catching up on my recreational noting.
    
    The book is titled "Word Play", subtitled "What Happens When People
    Talk", by Peter Farb.  The ISBN is 0-394-48675-7.  It was published
    by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.  The copy I have in front of me was published
    in April 1974.
    
    If you enjoyed that book, you might enjoy "O Thou Improper, Thou
    Uncommon Noun" by Willard R. Espy, ISBN 0-517-53511-4, published
    by Clarkson N. Potter, Inc.  It just happened to be sitting on my
    bookshelf next to "Word Play".  It discusses proper nouns that have
    become common nouns such as the Fourth Earl of Sandwich giving his
    name to our common lunchtime delight.  (Hmmmm...Who did Burger King name
    the Croisandwich(sp?) after? :-)
    
    BTW - What does ISBN stand for anyway? International Standard Book
    Number?
    
    		Happy Reading,
    		Tom Speake
433.5Ta everso.CHIC::PETERSE Unibus PlurumMon Nov 30 1987 08:495
Thanks Tom,

I'll try to order them.

	Steve
433.6ISBNHEART::KNOWLESMen's sauna in corporation bathsTue Dec 01 1987 14:2312
        > BTW - What does ISBN stand for anyway? International Standard Book
        > Number?

    Yup.  Needless to say, ISBNs are neither International nor Standard.
    For much of my working life I was dealing with books that had
    `a UK ISBN' and `a US ISBN'.
    
    Come to think of it, some tapes have IS_B_Ns.  But at least the
    N part is OK (if you include the check-digit X, which stands for
    10).
    
    b
433.7AKOV11::BOYAJIANThe Dread Pirate RobertsWed Dec 02 1987 07:4912
    re:.6
    
    Well, yes, I've seen books with a US ISBN and a Canadian ISBN,
    but that's got nothing to do with it. What's "international"
    and "standard" about it is not the number *itself*, but the
    format of the number, which includes a language prefix�, a
    publisher's code, a stock number, and a check digit.
    
    --- jerry
    
    � Two that I know offhand are "0-", which is for English, and "4-",
      which is for Japanese.