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Mario

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Mario’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (5)
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read‎ (24)

citizenry‎ (1)
cynicism‎ (1)
experts‎ (1)

ignorance‎ (1)
jingoism-historical-analysis‎ (1)
knowledge‎ (1)

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Mario is Currently Reading

Mario is currently reading

The Language Hoax: Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language

by John McWhorter

bookshelves: currently-reading, middling

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Mario said: " I have attempted to read other books by John McWhorter but something in the way he expresses himself puts me off. In The Language Hoax, his writing style mixes casual speech, academic pedantry, soft sarcasm and self-promotion in unnecessarily tortuou I have attempted to read other books by John McWhorter but something in the way he expresses himself puts me off. In The Language Hoax, his writing style mixes casual speech, academic pedantry, soft sarcasm and self-promotion in unnecessarily tortuous sentences. One is unsure if he's pooh-poohing Whorf's theory that language shapes thought and advancing a rebuttal. Only after three or so chapter does McWhorter arrive at the inviting conclusion: language influences thought and vice versa.

His examples in other languages are used to exemplify how the absence of certain markers isn't exactly a disadvantage. McWhorter excels at presenting these arguments...except when he uses Spanish: on page 116 “I doubt you will go is Dudo que él vaya,” which is a tad grammatically incorrect. It should be “Dudo de que él vaya.” Or the phrase “next month” (page 91) he writes “For instance, just for this expression it's the month that comes in Spanish...” Actually, Spanish can express “next month” as “the month that is next” and “the month that follows” or “the following month.” This is the problem when non-translators try to push an argument with very short expressions translated in foreign languages they aren't fluent in.

But one particular failing of this book is its title, The language hoax, implying that Whorf's theory that language shapes thought is a hoax, which is not. It may be full of imperfections but it was a significant step in modern Linguistics. Some of his self-promotion is jarring. On page 118, when referring to Black American speech after using an interesting example to suggest the use of a nascent subjunctive form, he wants to say he has been a promoter of bringing Black American speech to a stage of greater respect. He writes, rather pompously, “I might note that I myself have been very much on the battlefront when it comes to spreading the word on this latter point.”

In the end, The language hoax makes a serious contribution to Linguistics in that it helps us to reflect that grammars do not tell us how to think and live. Too bad this reflection is couched in veiled posturing and baroque wording. ...more "

Apr 14, 2025 08:15AM · see review

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The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters

by Thomas M. Nichols

bookshelves: currently-reading, experts, policymakers, citizenry, knowledge, ignorance, cynicism, trust

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Mario said: " Written in accessible language (with some exceptions, such as the use of the adjective “dispositive”), this book is directed at the American public at large, regardless of their politics or philosophical or economical views. I consider it a gateway t ...more "

Apr 02, 2025 06:46AM · see review

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Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (Politics of Place, #1)

by Tim Marshall

bookshelves: currently-reading, jingoism-historical-analysis

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Mario said: " A fan of history and geography since my teens, I started reading this book in the hopes for a seasoned yet accessible analysis of current events beyond Manichean sputtering and flag waving. The book starts with Russia, then China (so far, so good), a ...more "

Mar 20, 2024 03:48PM · see review

See all 23 books that Mario is reading…

Mario’s Quotes

“The politicized sponsors of this pseudoscientific nonsense should be ashamed to live, let alone die. If you want to take part in the “war” against cancer, and other terrible maladies, too, then join the battle against their lethal stupidity.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Mortality

tags: embryonic-stem-cell-research

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“For me, to remember friendship is to recall those conversations that it seemed a sin to break off: the ones that made the sacrifice of the following day a trivial one.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Mortality

25 likes