Sign-In
Cart
The Astonishment of Words: An Experiment in the Comparison of Languages
Paperback
LinguisticsWriting Instruction
ISBN13: 9780292729384
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: Jan 1 1972
Pages: 200
Weight: 0.66
Height: 0.46 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
One, two! one, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
Un deux, un deux, par le milieu,
Le glaive vorpal fait pat-Ã -pan!
La bête défaite, avec sa tête,
Il rentre gallomphant.
Eins, Zwei! Eins, Zwei! Und durch und durch
Da blieb es todt! Er, Kopf in Hand,
Geläumfig zog zurück!
The late Victor Proetz was by vocation a visual artist who created many distinguished architectural and decorative designs. His favorite avocation, however, was to explore the possibilities (and impossibilities) of words, especially words in translation, and to share his discoveries. As Alastair Reid says in his foreword, He turned words over in his head, he listened to them, he unraveled them, he looked them up, he played with them, he passed them on like presents, all with an unjadeable astonishment.
What, Proetz wondered, do some of the familiar and not-so-familiar works of English and American literature sound like in French? In German? How, he asked, do you say 'Yankee Doodle' in French-if you can? And How do they say 'Hounyhnhnm' and 'Cheshire Cat' and things like that in German? And, in either language, How, in God's name, can you possibly say 'There she blows!'?
This book, unfortunately left incomplete on his death in 1966, contains many of his answers. They are given not only in the assembled texts and translations but also in his wry, curious, sometimes hilarious commentaries. None of it is scholarly in any formal, academic sense-and yet, Reid reminds us, his is precisely the kind of enthusiastic curiosity that gives scholarship its pointers.
Also in
Linguistics
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus: The Most Powerful Ways to Say Everyday Words and Phrases
Heehler, Tom
Paperback
How to Kill a Language: Power, Resistance, and the Race to Save Our Words
Galer, Sophia Smith
Hardcover
My First Book of Patterns Pencil Control: Patterns Practice Book for Kids (Pattern Writing)
Wonder House Books
Paperback
Korean Stories for Language Learners: Traditional Folktales in Korean and English (Free Online Audio)
Damron, Julie
You, Eunsun
Paperback
The Perfect English Grammar Workbook: Simple Rules and Quizzes to Master Today's English
McLendon, Lisa
Paperback
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
Paperback
Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: A Workbook for Self-Study
Takagaki, Tetsuo
Henshall, Kenneth G.
Paperback
Print and Cursive Handwriting Workbook: 35 Lessons to Improve Your Penmanship
Sanders, Sally
Paperback
English Vocabulary in Use Elementary Book with Answers: Vocabulary Reference and Practice
O'Dell, Felicity
McCarthy, Michael
Paperback
Remembering the Kanji 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters
Heisig, James W.
Paperback
Japanese Folktales for Language Learners: Bilingual Legends and Fables in Japanese and English (Free Online Audio Recording)
Sato, Anna
Sato, Eriko
Paperback
Japanese Stories for Language Learners: Bilingual Stories in Japanese and English (Online Audio Included)
Sato, Eriko
McNulty, Anne
Paperback
English Idioms in Use Advanced Book with Answers: Vocabulary Reference and Practice
O'Dell, Felicity
McCarthy, Michael
Paperback
Quack This Way: David Foster Wallace & Bryan A. Garner Talk Language and Writing
Wallace, David Foster
Garner, Bryan
Paperback
Arabic Writing Workbook: Alphabet, Words, Sentences⎜Learn to write Arabic with this large and colorful handwriting workbook. For adults and kids
de Kerdoret, Soulayman
Paperback
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
Singh, Simon
Paperback
Vietnamese for Beginners: Learning Conversational Vietnamese (Free Online Audio)
Tran, Tri C.
Paperback
Historically Black Phrases: From I Ain't One of Your Lil' Friends to Who All Gon' Be There?
Hill, Jarrett
Anderson, Tre'vell
Hardcover
Korean Folktales for Language Learners: Traditional Stories in English and Korean (Free Online Audio)
Kim, Yeon-Jeong
Cho, Sukyeon
Killick, Andrew
Paperback
Reading & Writing Thai: A Workbook for Self-Study: A Beginner's Guide to the Thai Alphabet and Pronunciation (Free Online Audio and Printable Flash Ca
Rattanakhemakorn, Jintana
Paperback
Reading and Writing Korean: A Workbook for Self-Study: A Beginner's Guide to the Hangeul Writing System (Free Online Audio and Printable Flash Cards)
Driggs, Derek
Kiaer, Jieun
Paperback
Arabic Folktales for Language Learners: Traditional Stories in Arabic and English (Free Bilingual Online Audio)
Risha, Sarah
Paperback
Words to Love a Planet: An Illustrated Lexicon of Landscape, People, and Possibility
Sanders, Ella Frances
Hardcover
Beginning Mandarin Chinese for Modern Learners: A Complete Self-Study Language Guide for the Digital Age
Reiter, Yingying
Paperback
Conversational Japanese: A Practical Communication Guide for Visitors to Japan
Kaneko, Anne
Paperback
Chinese Stories for Language Learners: A Treasury of Proverbs and Folktales in Bilingual Chinese and English (Online Audio Recordings Included)
Wang, Peng
Ling, Vivian
Paperback
365 Days to Improve Your English: A Daily Vocabulary Builder to Become More Well-Spoken - Unlock 1,000+ Words to Boost Your Vocabulary and Communicati
Lee, Dae
Mode, Airplane
Paperback
Word Smart, 6th Edition: 1400+ Words That Belong in Every Savvy Student's Vocabulary
The Princeton Review
Paperback
How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding and Using Bible Versions
Fee, Gordon D.
Strauss, Mark L.
Paperback
Chinese Folktales for Language Learners: Famous Folk Stories in Chinese and English (Free Online Audio Recordings)
Wang, Peng
Ling, Vivian
Paperback
Mastering Logical Fallacies: The Definitive Guide to Flawless Rhetoric and Bulletproof Logic
Withey, Michael
Paperback
The Navajo Language: The Elements Of Navajo Grammar With A Dictionary In Two Parts Containing Basic Vocabularies Of Navajo And English
Morgan, William
Young, Robert W.
Hardcover
A Gateway to Sindarin: A Grammar of an Elvish Language from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
Salo, David
Paperback
Language and Life on Ocracoke: The Living History of the Brogue
Gaskill, Candy
Reaser, Jeffrey
Wolfram, Walt
Paperback
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World
Sanders, Ella Frances
Hardcover
Writing Japanese Hiragana: An Introductory Japanese Language Workbook: Learn and Practice the Japanese Alphabet
Gleeson, Jim
Paperback
Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences
Florey, Kitty Burns
Paperback
English Short Stories for Beginners: Learn English With Stories From an American Life
Guru, Language
Paperback
Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages
Deutscher, Guy
Paperback
English Vocabulary in Use Elementary Book with Answers and Enhanced eBook: Vocabulary Reference and Practice
O'Dell, Felicity
McCarthy, Michael
Paperback
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
Anthony, David W.
Paperback
English Short Stories for Intermediate Learners: Learn English and Build Your Vocabulary the Fun and Easy Way
Guru, Language
Paperback
Arabic Stories for Language Learners: Traditional Middle Eastern Tales in Arabic and English (Online Included) [With CD (Audio)]
Mansur, Lutfi
Brosh, Hezi
Paperback
Japanese Kanji for Beginners: (Jlpt Levels N5 & N4) First Steps to Learn the Basic Japanese Characters [Includes Online Audio & Printable Flash Cards]
Stout, Timothy G.
Hakone, Kaori
Paperback
I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World
Geary, James
Paperback
Basics of Akkadian: A Grammar, Workbook, and Glossary
Hugenberger, Gordon P.
Erickson, Nancy L.
Paperback
A Navajo Alphabet Book For Kids: Diné Bizaad: Language Learning Educational Present For Toddlers, Babies & Children Age 1 - 3:
Press, Bilingual Kiddos
Paperback
Reading & Writing Farsi (Persian): A Workbook for Self-Study: A Beginner's Guide to the Farsi Script and Language (Free Online Audio & Printable Flash
Ahooie, Amir Hossein
Vil, Pegah
Paperback
'O Faia Fa'atumua O Samoa Mai Tala O Le Vavau
Simanu, 'Aumua Mata'itusi
Papalii, Aumua Mataitusi Sima
Paperback
The Indo-Europeans Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution Is Rewriting Their Story
Mallory, J. P.
Hardcover
Ancient Greek Thematic Dictionary. Volume I: General Concepts, Dimensions, and Senses
Rico, Christophe
Hardcover
Learn Japanese with Manga Volume Two: A Self-Study Language Guide (Free Online Audio)
Bernabe, Marc
Paperback
Japanese Kanji Made Easy: An Easy Step-By-Step Workbook to Learn the Basic Japanese Kanji (JLPT N5)
Lingo Mastery
Paperback
An Apple a Day: Learn 25 Idioms and Sayings in English, Spanish, French, and Italian
Tartaglia, Michela
Hardcover
The Art of Language Invention: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves to Sand Worms, the Words Behind World-Building
Peterson, David J.
Paperback
The First 100 Chinese Characters: Simplified Character Edition: (Hsk Level 1) the Quick and Easy Way to Learn the Basic Chinese Characters
Matthews, Alison
Matthews, Laurence
Paperback
Chinese for Beginners: Learning Conversational Chinese (Fully Romanized and Free Online Audio)
Ren, Yi
Liang, Xiyuan
Paperback
Aprender inglés para adultos principiantes: 3 libros en 1: ¡Habla inglés en 30 días!
Towin, Explore
Paperback
Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks
Houston, Keith
Paperback
The 1560 Defined Geneva Bible: With Modern Spelling, New Testament
Krueger, James
Brown, David L.
Hardcover
Trace Letters and Numbers Workbook: Learn How to Write Alphabet Upper and Lower Case and Numbers
Noosita, Nina
Paperback
The Slangman Guide to STREET SPEAK 1: The Complete Course in American Slang & Idioms
Burke, David
Paperback
Elementary Korean Workbook: A Complete Language Activity Book for Beginners (Free Online Audi)
Lee, Insun
Paperback
Kingdom of Characters (Pulitzer Prize Finalist): The Language Revolution That Made China Modern
Tsu, Jing
Paperback
The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention
Deutscher, Guy
Paperback
Learn Korean - The Language Workbook for Beginners: An Easy, Step-by-Step Study Book and Writing Practice Guide for Learning How to Read, Write, and T
Lee, Jennie
Polyscholar
Paperback
Enhancing Instruction for Multilingual Learners: Coaching Practices to Empower Students
Polk, Paula
Paperback
Basic Tagalog: Learn to Speak Modern Filipino/ Tagalog - The National Language of the Philippines: Revised Third Edition (with Online Audio)
Hernandez, Yolanda Canseco
Aspillera, Paraluman S.
Paperback
Arabic for Beginners: A Guide to Modern Standard Arabic (Free Online Audio and Printable Flash Cards)
Risha, Sarah
Paperback
Easy Thai: A Complete Language Course and Pocket Dictionary in One! (Free Companion Online Audio)
Rattanakhemakorn, Jintana
Paperback
Japanese Kanji and Kana Workbook: A Self-Study Workbook for Learning Japanese Characters
Hadamitzky, Wolfgang
Spahn, Mark
Paperback
Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World
Bergstrom, Carl T.
West, Jevin D.
Paperback
Japanese Kanji Fast Finder: Find the Character You Need in a Single Step!
Matthews, Laurence
Paperback
English Short Stories for Beginners and Intermediate Learners: Learn English and Build Your Vocabulary
Guru, Language
Paperback
Vietnamese Stories for Language Learners: Traditional Folktales in Vietnamese and English (Free Online Audio)
Le, Tram
Tran, Tri C.
Paperback