false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1226346684m/3730120.jpg 3730120 1 Just about everyone has heard of Esperanto, which was nothing less than one man’s attempt to bring about world peace by means of linguistic solidarity. And every Star Trek fan knows about Klingon, which was nothing more than a television show’s attempt to create a tough-sounding language befitting a warrior race with ridged foreheads. But few people have heard of Babm, Blissymbolics, and the nearly nine hundred other invented languages that represent the hard work, high hopes, and full-blown delusions of so many misguided souls over the centuries. In <i>In The Land of Invented Languages</i>, author Arika Okrent tells the fascinating and highly entertaining history of man’s enduring quest to build a better language. Peopled with charming eccentrics and exasperating megalomaniacs, the land of invented languages is a place where you can recite the Lord’s Prayer in John Wilkins’s Philosophical Language, say your wedding vows in Loglan, and read <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> in Lojban. A truly original new addition to the booming category of language books, <i>In The Land of Invented Languages</i> will be a must-have on the shelves of all word freaks, grammar geeks, and plain old language lovers. 3773893 24 3 2009 In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and The Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build A Perfect Language total:78|5:26|4:33|3:18|2:1|1:0| 78 318 282 40 5 0 false false Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 08 17:44:26 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 17:44:26 -0800 2009 In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent is a book ostensibly about invented languages (like Esperanto) that is filled with love for the beauty and inventiveness of natural languages.

Okrent gives us the tour we'd expect of funny invented languages like Esperanto and Klingon (she ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Oct 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 07:04:18 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 21:54:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 9 false false Wed Jun 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 15:18:44 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 04:52:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 09:22:55 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 09:35:13 -0700 2009 In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent is about artificially constructed languages. Okrent's style in this book closely resembles that of a travelogue. For several of the languages Okrent gives a little historical background mixed with a description of her personal experiences with the ...

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Some things I thought were interesting:
* A Canadian school for children who are unable to speak uses a symbolic language to teach them to communicate. Th...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 08:56:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 17:18:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 19:06:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 10:13:34 -0700 2009
Okrent begins at the end, with Klingon, which seems like a lonely and ecctentric little hobby, but she promises she wil...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Oct 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 21:10:07 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 16 22:18:58 -0700 2009
The book is very interesting and entertaining for those interested in language and fringe/eccentric people: the author goes into enough depth for the language nerds and is personable and playful enough to m...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri May 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 03:55:07 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 18:53:59 -0700 2009
Okrent has written a fascinating, accessible yet deep, and even at times funny book about the languages tha...more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 10 11:52:56 -0800 2008 Wed Jun 03 14:34:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri May 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 17:19:28 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 17:52:08 -0700 2009
1. People who invent languages are fucking crazy.
2. Artificial languages communities were where Linux distro fanatics hung out before there were Linux distros.

But seriously, the book is really fun and fascinating. I respect nerdery of all ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jun 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 15:32:13 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 20:51:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 10:54:21 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 14:09:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 12:18:51 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 12:20:28 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Sep 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 12:52:09 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 20:04:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Aug 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 21:47:45 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 21:49:06 -0700 2009 1
V kij kdopakd aj modk.
"I choose a healthful meal rather than a del...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed May 27 19:13:58 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 19:16:19 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Fri Jul 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 10:19:35 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 10:20:49 -0700 2009 Only kinda interesting part was the description of the Klingon Convention.]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 18:04:07 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 18:08:58 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3730120