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Secret Language: Codes, Tricks, Spies, Thieves, and Symbols
With revelations on every page, and sample codes and puzzles for the reader to crack, Secret Language will entertain everyone with an urge to know more about the most arcane and curious uses of language. From backmasking to the Enigma Machine, from magic words to literary symbols, here is a lively, engaging tour of languages that hide their meanings from all but a chosen few. Blake explains the difference between ciphers and codes and shows how secret messages have been written--and broken--for almost two thousand years. He explores the history and uses of the slang and argot of schools and trades, tracing the stories of centuries-old cants such as those used by sailors and criminals--among them polari, the mix of Italian, Yiddish, and slang once spoken among strolling players and circus folk and most recently adopted by the gay community. He examines the sacred languages of ancient cults and religions, uncovers the workings of onomancy, spells, and gematria, considers the obliqueness of allusion and parody, and celebrates the absurdities of euphemism and jargon.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 16, 2010
This is an odd book, and not a very good one. As someone with over 120 books on my "words-and-language" shelf, I'm a confirmed language geek. Even the remotest byways of language have the potential to fascinate me. Though my interest in language is purely amateur, it is of long standing. (When I was learning Spanish a couple of years ago, my classmates were completely spooked by my enthusiasm for the subjunctive, which they deemed "unnatural".) The point is, where books about words and language are concerned, my bar is pretty low. I'm predisposed to like anything written by someone who is enthusiastic about language, generally willing to give the benefit of the doubt.
So a language book has to suck big time for me not to like it. Secret Language manages this by fitting squarely in the category of total pointlessness. For the life of me I can't figure out why this book was written, or what the author was trying to get across. The title seems to promise a unifying theme; I'm sure Barry Blake hoped for something more coherent than this dog's breakfast of a book.
There are two main problems. First, the author's inclusion criteria are far too broad. Under the rubric of "secret language" he drags in so many different topics that the result is an incoherent blur. Major chapter headings include:
1. From Anagrams to Cryptic Crosswords
2. Talking in Riddles
3. Ciphers and Codes
4. Biblical Secrets*
5. Words of Power
6. Words to Avoid
7. Jargon, Slang, Argot & Secret Languages
8. The Everyday Oblique
9. Elusive Allusions
This doesn't look too bad, but there's less to it than meets the eye. The book runs to about 300 pages, so you might reasonably ask
"How will Barry Blake manage to tell us something coherent and interesting about so many subjects in such a short book?"
The answer is simple. He doesn't. He flits from one topic to the next, like a slightly deranged hummingbird on speed, with about as much impact. Any risk of saying anything of substance is minimized by darting rapidly from one topic to the next. The remarks that do make it in are, with rare exceptions, astonishingly banal. Here, for instance, is what Barry has to say about internet argot:
The invention of the internet has given rise to an extensive argot among those communicating by email, instant messaging, and other social media. There are a number of rebus-type substitutions for syllables such as B4 'before', C 'see', M8 'mate', U 'you', abbreviations such as LOL 'laughing out loud', and emoticons such as :-) for 'smile' and :-( for 'sad' (if they are not transparent, turn them 90 degrees clockwise). Similar abbreviations are used in texting by mobile phone.
Pretty edifying stuff, eh? There's a similar paragraph telling us how internet spammers like to incorporate deliberate misspellings in words like Ciali$ or V1agra to thwart email spam filters, whose inclusion I'll spare you, because the boredom in transcribing it might actually be lethal.
The basic problem is that most of the book is like this - the author has very little to say that's original, his writing style makes for heavy sledding, and whatever enthusiasm he might feel for his subject isn't evident to the reader. I found the final chapter, "Elusive Allusions", in which the author explains such difficult linguistic conundrums as the reason Ah-nold is referred to as the "Governator" and the origins of phrases like "Achilles heel" and "Trojan horse", particularly irritating.
*: The inclusion of a chapter devoted to such rubbish as "bible codes" and the like is dispiriting. The "History" channel has a lot to answer for.
So a language book has to suck big time for me not to like it. Secret Language manages this by fitting squarely in the category of total pointlessness. For the life of me I can't figure out why this book was written, or what the author was trying to get across. The title seems to promise a unifying theme; I'm sure Barry Blake hoped for something more coherent than this dog's breakfast of a book.
There are two main problems. First, the author's inclusion criteria are far too broad. Under the rubric of "secret language" he drags in so many different topics that the result is an incoherent blur. Major chapter headings include:
1. From Anagrams to Cryptic Crosswords
2. Talking in Riddles
3. Ciphers and Codes
4. Biblical Secrets*
5. Words of Power
6. Words to Avoid
7. Jargon, Slang, Argot & Secret Languages
8. The Everyday Oblique
9. Elusive Allusions
This doesn't look too bad, but there's less to it than meets the eye. The book runs to about 300 pages, so you might reasonably ask
"How will Barry Blake manage to tell us something coherent and interesting about so many subjects in such a short book?"
The answer is simple. He doesn't. He flits from one topic to the next, like a slightly deranged hummingbird on speed, with about as much impact. Any risk of saying anything of substance is minimized by darting rapidly from one topic to the next. The remarks that do make it in are, with rare exceptions, astonishingly banal. Here, for instance, is what Barry has to say about internet argot:
The invention of the internet has given rise to an extensive argot among those communicating by email, instant messaging, and other social media. There are a number of rebus-type substitutions for syllables such as B4 'before', C 'see', M8 'mate', U 'you', abbreviations such as LOL 'laughing out loud', and emoticons such as :-) for 'smile' and :-( for 'sad' (if they are not transparent, turn them 90 degrees clockwise). Similar abbreviations are used in texting by mobile phone.
Pretty edifying stuff, eh? There's a similar paragraph telling us how internet spammers like to incorporate deliberate misspellings in words like Ciali$ or V1agra to thwart email spam filters, whose inclusion I'll spare you, because the boredom in transcribing it might actually be lethal.
The basic problem is that most of the book is like this - the author has very little to say that's original, his writing style makes for heavy sledding, and whatever enthusiasm he might feel for his subject isn't evident to the reader. I found the final chapter, "Elusive Allusions", in which the author explains such difficult linguistic conundrums as the reason Ah-nold is referred to as the "Governator" and the origins of phrases like "Achilles heel" and "Trojan horse", particularly irritating.
*: The inclusion of a chapter devoted to such rubbish as "bible codes" and the like is dispiriting. The "History" channel has a lot to answer for.
May 29, 2018
Not a book for adults, surprised that Oxford U. Press published this..
March 20, 2021
I have had this book in my collection for quite some time, but never got around to actually reading it. I suppose in an off-handed away this is one advantage to the COVID-19 pandemic as none of the library's here are open so I am forced to actually read books that I've been meaning to (in some cases for years).
As it turns out this book is absolutely wonderful and Mr. Blake goes into significant amounts of detail with lots of examples from various languages, cultures, and history. A brief introduction deals with why people want to be mysterious. He then goes on to talk about topics related to anagrams and cryptic crosswords which includes things like palindromes and acronyms which he gives numerous examples of.
His next topic is all about riddles. Riddles have been with us for centuries, and have appeared in many forms. He discusses things like the rebus, the charade (and how it has changed from it's inception, into the kids game people are familiar with today). And then goes on to give some riddles that the reader can try.
The next section is one that I found extremely fascinating and that was on codes and ciphers. He deals with the history from pre-Roman times up to the present and the use of computers. Once again he gives the reader some interesting challenges.
The next three chapters deal with biblical secrets, words of power, and words to avoid. These are explored from a historical as well as a cultural viewpoint. His next chapter deals with jargon, slang, argot and various secret languages.
He ends the book with a discussion of things like politeness, humour, euphemism, abusive language, oxymorons, parody and satire to name but a few.
I found this to be an excellent book, and was quite sorry that I hadn't read it many years ago. It is especially renewed my interest in codes and ciphers, and I'll be reviewing another book that I have on that in the future.
As it turns out this book is absolutely wonderful and Mr. Blake goes into significant amounts of detail with lots of examples from various languages, cultures, and history. A brief introduction deals with why people want to be mysterious. He then goes on to talk about topics related to anagrams and cryptic crosswords which includes things like palindromes and acronyms which he gives numerous examples of.
His next topic is all about riddles. Riddles have been with us for centuries, and have appeared in many forms. He discusses things like the rebus, the charade (and how it has changed from it's inception, into the kids game people are familiar with today). And then goes on to give some riddles that the reader can try.
The next section is one that I found extremely fascinating and that was on codes and ciphers. He deals with the history from pre-Roman times up to the present and the use of computers. Once again he gives the reader some interesting challenges.
The next three chapters deal with biblical secrets, words of power, and words to avoid. These are explored from a historical as well as a cultural viewpoint. His next chapter deals with jargon, slang, argot and various secret languages.
He ends the book with a discussion of things like politeness, humour, euphemism, abusive language, oxymorons, parody and satire to name but a few.
I found this to be an excellent book, and was quite sorry that I hadn't read it many years ago. It is especially renewed my interest in codes and ciphers, and I'll be reviewing another book that I have on that in the future.
March 9, 2013
I picked this up thinking it would be something like Simon Singh's excellent The Code Book but discovered it's more like Blake's Masters Thesis on language, complete with academic-style footnotes, random diversions and uninspiring writing.
Blake clearly has thought a lot about language, but this book covers a range of disparate topics (spy codes, origins of words, pseudo-scientific accounts of words/phrases hidden in the bible, internet/text speak) in a very once-over-lightly style that made it hard to stick with - and in fact I skimmed a few of the duller sections.
It may be worth a read if you're a linguistics major who wants a quick tour of topics discussed by others, but head for Sing's book if you want a more enjoyable beginner's guide.
Blake clearly has thought a lot about language, but this book covers a range of disparate topics (spy codes, origins of words, pseudo-scientific accounts of words/phrases hidden in the bible, internet/text speak) in a very once-over-lightly style that made it hard to stick with - and in fact I skimmed a few of the duller sections.
It may be worth a read if you're a linguistics major who wants a quick tour of topics discussed by others, but head for Sing's book if you want a more enjoyable beginner's guide.
September 8, 2013
I have a things for codes and ciphers, despite lacking the mathematical or logical facility to be any good with them. So a book like this is right up my alley.
Well I say a book like this, it does seem to be in almost two separate sections, the bit about ciphers and codes, and the longer bit about secret, hidden languages, and while the ciphers and codes section is good and useful and solid, and he does try to link the two parts but I think they could have done with being two separate books. Mostly because then there would have been more on the languages part.
According to the blurb, Blake is a specialist in Aboriginal languages, and it shows because there are far more Australian (and indeed Oceanian) examples than normal. It also meant his example of English secret languages were very London-based.
I really enjoyed the book.
Well I say a book like this, it does seem to be in almost two separate sections, the bit about ciphers and codes, and the longer bit about secret, hidden languages, and while the ciphers and codes section is good and useful and solid, and he does try to link the two parts but I think they could have done with being two separate books. Mostly because then there would have been more on the languages part.
According to the blurb, Blake is a specialist in Aboriginal languages, and it shows because there are far more Australian (and indeed Oceanian) examples than normal. It also meant his example of English secret languages were very London-based.
I really enjoyed the book.
June 22, 2015
One of the strengths of the book was its very broad take on the idea of a secret language - it not only encompassed code and encryption, but also slang, argot, taboo and other 'powerful' language forms like spells and curses. At times, its breadth made it feel thinly researched, though it does have a helpful bibliography that one can use to follow up on the myriad of ideas it tosses out. A fun read that may lead to more....
January 3, 2020
Secret Language is a delightful romp over the breadth of language used in any way to conceal, deflect, imply, and infer. Examples and puzzles showcase fascinating language features from a wide cultural array. Linguist Blake draws on his deep knowledge not to present anything scientific and precise – and thus dry – but rather a playful celebration of what can be hidden in human communication.
October 14, 2010
When this author was a kid, he was the one who told jokes and explained why they were funny at the end. Even so, I'm sort of nerdily fond of the book, which is sort of a Ph.D thesis on linguistic anthropology, cryptography, and riddles.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews