Jack Lynch (1)
Author of The Lexicographer's Dilemma: The Evolution of 'Proper' English, from Shakespeare to South Park
For other authors named Jack Lynch, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Jack Lynch, a Johnson scholar and professor of English at Rutgers University
Image credit: courtesy author
Works by Jack Lynch
The Lexicographer's Dilemma: The Evolution of 'Proper' English, from Shakespeare to South Park (2009) 528 copies
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary: Selections from the 1755 Work That Defined the English Language (1755) 365 copies
Becoming Shakespeare: The Unlikely Afterlife That Turned a Provincial Playwright into the Bard (2007) 121 copies
Samuel Johnson's Insults: A Compendium of Snubs, Sneers, Slights and Effronteries from the Eighteenth-Century Master (2004) 92 copies
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary : Selections from the 1755 Work That Defined the English Language (1982) 9 copies
The Age of Johnson, Vol. 17 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 20th Century
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- lexicographer
Members
Reviews
You could look it up : the reference shelf, from… by Jack Lynch
Pleasantly surprised, not at all dry. Nice overview of the making of some of the seminal reference works with a bit of philosophy on the nature of gathered knowledge. Fun
An interesting, enlightening and certainly entertaining walk through evolution of English language and the multiples dilemmas it has faced. This book explanains how English has been working and developing through years.
Complete review on Medium.
Enlightening book on the quest for a "standard English" amid the ways people are actually speaking and how the language is changing. Fun book if you are into words and language. The part about swear words near the end may offend some readers though!
If you like words, or grammar, or language, you will love this book. How did English end up as the English we speak today? Where did all the grammar rules come from (such as not ending a sentence with a preposition)? Who decided these rules? How do dictionaries affect grammar and the choice of words that one uses?
Much of the book deals with the two types of grammarians – the prescriptivists and the descriptivists. One wants to set hard and fast rules to the language, the other wants to describe it. Grammatical rules are relatively new to English. In the 17th century, John Dryden was one of the first to prescribe what proper English is. The 18th century prescriptivists along with Dryden imposed Latin grammar rules on the English language. They are why we all have been taught to not split infinitives or end sentences with prepositions and when to use who vs. whom. English is not Latin so in reality these rules make no sense.
Reading this book, I recognized myself as a prescriptivist, always correcting grammar and spelling and word usage. The misuse of words could drive me crazy. One in particular is the word “decimate”. He shows how meanings change with time and there is nothing that can be done to change that and “decimate” is an example that he gives. Guess I will have to learn to take deep breaths from now on when I hear or read it ‘misused’.
And if you are still a prescriptivist and want some type of government group or edict to set proper English, remember that in 1975 Gerald Ford signed a bill to convert the US to the metric system. How has that worked?
… (more)
Much of the book deals with the two types of grammarians – the prescriptivists and the descriptivists. One wants to set hard and fast rules to the language, the other wants to describe it. Grammatical rules are relatively new to English. In the 17th century, John Dryden was one of the first to prescribe what proper English is. The 18th century prescriptivists along with Dryden imposed Latin grammar rules on the English language. They are why we all have been taught to not split infinitives or end sentences with prepositions and when to use who vs. whom. English is not Latin so in reality these rules make no sense.
Reading this book, I recognized myself as a prescriptivist, always correcting grammar and spelling and word usage. The misuse of words could drive me crazy. One in particular is the word “decimate”. He shows how meanings change with time and there is nothing that can be done to change that and “decimate” is an example that he gives. Guess I will have to learn to take deep breaths from now on when I hear or read it ‘misused’.
And if you are still a prescriptivist and want some type of government group or edict to set proper English, remember that in 1975 Gerald Ford signed a bill to convert the US to the metric system. How has that worked?
… (more)
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Statistics
- Works
- 22
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 1,428
- Popularity
- #18,017
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 56
- ISBNs
- 86
- Languages
- 1
