Alphabet Juice: Spirits of Letters and Words

If everybodys first English teacher were Roy Blount Jr., we might still be trillions in debt, but we would be so deeply in love with words and their magic. . . that wed hardly notice. Chris Tucker, The Dallas Morning News After forty years of making a living using words in every medium except greeting cards, Roy Blount Jr. still cant get over his ABCs. In Alphabet Juice, he celebrates the juju, the crackle, the sonic and kinetic energies, of letters and their combinations. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, but he is not out to prescribe proper English. His passion is for questions such as these: Did you know that both mammal and matter derive from baby talk? Have you noticed how wince makes you wince? Three and a half centuries ago, Thomas Blount produced his Glossographia, the first dictionary to explore derivations of English words. This Blounts Glossographia takes that pursuit to new levels. From sources as venerable as the OED and as fresh as Urbandictionary, and especially from the authors own wide ranging experience, Alphabet Juice derives an organic take on language that is unlike, and more fun than, any other. Amusing, bemusing, and smart as hell. Daniel Okrent, Fortune Danced in Blounts arms, English swings smartly. Jack Shafer, The New York Times Book Review Gracefully erudite and joyous. Katherine A. Powers, The Boston Sunday Globe Roy Blount Jr. is the author of twenty previous books, covering subjects from the Pittsburgh Steelers to Robert E. Lee to what dogs are thinking. He is a regular panelist on NPRs Wait, Wait. . . Dont Tell Me and is a member of the American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel. Born in Indianapolis and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Blount now lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife, the painter Joan Griswold. Did you know that both mammal and matter derive from baby talk? Have you noticed how wince makes you wince? Ever wonder why so many h-words have to do with breath? Roy Blount Jr. certainly has, and after forty years of making a living using words in every medium, print or electronic, except greeting cards, he still cant get over his ABCs. In Alphabet Juice, he celebrates the electricity, the juju, the sonic and kinetic energies, of letters and their combinations. Blount does not prescribe proper English. The franchise he claims is over the counter. Three and a half centuries ago, Thomas Blount produced Blounts Glossographia, the first dictionary to explore derivations of English words. This Blounts Glossographia takes that pursuit to other levels, from Proto-Indo-European roots to your epiglottis. It rejects the standard linguistic notion that the connection between words and their meanings is arbitrary. Even the word arbitrary is shown to be no more arbitrary, at its root, than go-to guy or crackerjack. From sources as venerable as the OED (in which Blount finds an inconsistency, at whisk) and (to which Blount has contributed the number-one definition of alligator arm), and especially from the authors own wide-ranging experience, Alphabet Juice derives an organic take on language that is unlike, and more fun than, any other. Like many writers, I keep a few books on a shelf to unclog my brain for those times when the right combination of words refuses to muster for service. To that pantheon I add Alphabet Juice for its erudition, its grand fun and its contrary view on what constitutes good writing. . . Not that Blount counsels self-indulgence. Writing needs to be quick, so its readable at first glance and also worth lingering over. This book is both, and danced in Blounts arms, English swings smartly. My admiration for Alphabet Juice only swelled when it proposed a conclusion for this review. Reviewers like to apply the word uneven to books theyre fond of, but have a few reservations about.