Language Visible

Language Visible: Unraveling the Mystery of the Alphabet from A to Z by David Sacks Summary: Letters are tangible language. Joining together in endless combinations to actually show speech, letters convey our messages and tell our stories. While we encounter these tiny shapes hundreds of times a day, we take for granted the long, fascinating history behind one of the most fundamental of human inventions--the alphabet. The heart of the book is the 26 fact-filled “biographies” of letters A through Z, each one identifying the letter’s particular significance for modern readers, tracing its development from ancient forms, and discussing its noteworthy role in literature and other media. We learn, for example, why the letter X has a sinister and sexual aura, how B came to signify second best, why the word “mother” in many languages starts with M, and what is the story of O. Packed with information and lavishly illustrated, Language Visible is not only accessible and entertaining, but essential to the appreciation of our own language. Angie’s comments: I love learning about words and languages, so Language Visible is a book that I enjoyed. I also now have a large amount of trivia about the alphabet stuck in my head. The sections for each letter repeated some basic history, which I tended to skip over. However, that repetition of history also makes it easy for readers only read the sections on the letters that they choose. Readers can easily dip in and out of the book as desired. Recommended for lovers of language.  Request this item