Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
93rd out of 150 books
—
126 voters
A Man Without Words
"At the level of sheer pleasure in reading, A Man without Words is as gripping as a novel, eliciting great sympathy for both protagonist and author. . . . The question that drives itwhat is it like to be without language?should be of interest to any reflective person, and it is one of the great scientific questions of all time."Steven Pinker, author of The Language Inst
...morePaperback, 210 pages
Published
August 29th 1995
by University of California Press
(first published July 1st 1992)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
448)
Condescending and ill-informed. I really didn't like this book. The author even states that when this "languageless" man encounters a Deaf person, they exchange more information than she had been able to in weeks with him. Then the end of the book has a description of a group of "languageless" people who apparently are communicating without language! They are all deaf and come from the same country...gosh could it be they have a different signed language or are using a pidgin created from the va...more
It was difficult to review this book, because on the one hand, Schaller has done a great thing by publicizing the existence of people who have not had the opportunity to learn any standardized language. I'm sure this book changed the minds of some linguists and ASL interpreters, and the subject of the biography was very lucky to have come across someone with the patience to teach him language. However interesting the subject may have been, on the other hand is Schaller's disgusting exoticization...more
I was excited to dive into this book given the subject matter and the questions that it raised. It was a good read. I flew through the early pages. But, as I got further into the text and the story and learned more about this man I became somewhat appalled at what I was reading. In fact, I wrote a rather lengthy and opinionated paper on this book arguing that this woman obliterated a profound and unique language that this man had. She painted an entire picture of him from the very beginning as b...more
A Man Without Words. A man without language. Not just the lack of language, but the lack of a concept of language. No common means of communication, no idea that everything around us in the world, and a whole invisible world of non-tangibles (emotions, actions, tenses) has been given a name. Think for a moment what that would be like, to reach adulthood and be in an incomprehensible and lonely world. A world governed by seemingly arbitrary rules.
While working as a sign language translator Susan...more
While working as a sign language translator Susan...more
Found this book on a pile of discards one night on break from adult ed. class.
Amazing book. The true story of Ildefonso, from Mexico, who grew up "languageless" and deaf until he was 27. Susan Schaller worked with him for a few months, then moved away, and returned to find him again in CA seven years later. A skilled ASL signer/interpreter, she has dedicated much of her working life to advocacy and research with deaf adults, even forming a non-profit advocacy group with colleagues. Ildefonso's j...more
Amazing book. The true story of Ildefonso, from Mexico, who grew up "languageless" and deaf until he was 27. Susan Schaller worked with him for a few months, then moved away, and returned to find him again in CA seven years later. A skilled ASL signer/interpreter, she has dedicated much of her working life to advocacy and research with deaf adults, even forming a non-profit advocacy group with colleagues. Ildefonso's j...more
WHAT I LIKED:
The concept behind the story is fascinating. The author finds a 27-year-old man who hadn't ever learned a formal language. She discussed how she taught him language and the moment Ildefonso put everything together.
I had never considered that a child who was born deaf may never learn language unless there are community resources available to teach a sign language. (There is more than one sign language, btw. ASL is just one kind.) If a child is born deaf to hearing parents who don't k...more
The concept behind the story is fascinating. The author finds a 27-year-old man who hadn't ever learned a formal language. She discussed how she taught him language and the moment Ildefonso put everything together.
I had never considered that a child who was born deaf may never learn language unless there are community resources available to teach a sign language. (There is more than one sign language, btw. ASL is just one kind.) If a child is born deaf to hearing parents who don't k...more
I read this because Temple Grandin in "Animals in Translation" mentioned it several times, and it intrigued me. I don't know a whole lot about ASL and the Deaf community, but this story about an ASL teacher (the author) who helps a languageless - deaf man discover language was really enjoyable. I just can't imagine how a person can grow up to 28 years without ever knowing language or even knowing things have names, etc. It challenges the notion that one cannot have cognition without language. It...more
Wow! I was really enthralled by this account of a Deaf interpreter who meets a Deaf man with no language at all. Interestingly, when she tried to research how to teach languageless adults, she was unable to find material. The theory prevailed that if a person does not learn language by adulthood, they COULDN'T learn language. Thankfully, she didn't stumble on this theory until later, and so proceeded the slow, painstaking process of getting Ildefonso to learn that all things have names. Then lat...more
view 2 comments
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I heard the story of Susan Schaller and Ildefonso on the Radiolab podcast. If I had been driving I would have had to pull over. The story of ildefonso, the moment he realized he lived in a world of language, and the struggles he faced ahead as he moved into a world of meanings in one of the most moving human stories I have ever heard.
I had to read Schaller's book to get the full story. It was worth it, but I dare say the quality of the book is entirely in the 'this actually happened, this is a r...more
I had to read Schaller's book to get the full story. It was worth it, but I dare say the quality of the book is entirely in the 'this actually happened, this is a r...more
It could have been paced better. She spent an awful lot of time repeating herself and musing on the same concepts over and over again. We didn't actually get to see much of the protagonist because she spent so much time theorizing. Very interesting read, though.
It's been years since I read this, but it has stayed with me. An absolutely enthralling story that sparked my continuing interest in literacy. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how the brain works or in literacy, or enjoys Oliver Sacks' writing.
A fascinating story of an adult man, born profoundly deaf, who had no language and communicated almost solely through mime/gestures. The concept of words as representing other things was something he'd never understood. The author tells the story of this prelingual man's breakthrough after helping him achieve it. My only complaint is that I wanted to know so much more about Ildefonso! Maybe it's impossible for me to fully understand since I've had language for so long (there's some evidence that...more
This book brings up language in its most basic form and I found it REALLY interesting. I actually got to meet and talk with the author (she lives in the Bay Area) and she's an amazing person - she loves the work that she does with the deaf and she's obviously making a huge difference in the lives of those who need it most.
Fascinating read and eye-opener about the reality of the deaf community and growing up without an L1; for linguists a must-read.
Sep 26, 2010
Clay
marked it as to-read
I heard this remarkable story on Radiolab: http://www.radiolab.org/2010/aug/09/
Leaves you speechless a must for anyone interested in language
Nov 10, 2011
Tracey
marked it as to-read
SDMB recco: Citizen Pained - Author appeared on Radiolab: 9 Aug 2010
Dec 26, 2010
Michelle
added it
very interesting story
The first half was three stars, the second half...six. (yes, six.) <3
This book was incredible. I give it five stars because so little literature on this subject exists and I love that this woman documented her experiences from a human perspective. I originally heard about this story from a RadioLab podcast and then read this book. The idea of experiencing the acquisition of language is so fascinating to me.
Dec 15, 2009
Xarah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Xarah by:
Dr. Jim Wilce
Shelves:
non-fiction,
own
Very interesting book on being a languageless deaf person. Required text for Anthropology 103: Culture and Communication at Northern Arizona University.
This book really makes you appreciate the ability to communicate. If you are studying ASL or human behaviors, this is an excellent true story.
remarkable
May 21, 2013
Joe
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Caleb Murphy
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Sarah
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Benfortel
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
