I was expecting something more Steven Pinker-esque from this book—I hear Lederer is a neat speaker and enjoys to talk about language, so I expected the book to be more engaging and exploratory. Instead, it read like a disconnected series of newspaper columns (and I say that because I know he wrote a column in a newspaper—otherwise, it's a series of very short chapters). Sorry, Mr. Lederer, but this book didn't make me—a linguist!—feel like these examples of language were terribly miraculous.

Such potential. ( )

Fifteen years ago, I attended a library conference where Richard Lederer was the keynote speaker. His message was intriguing and I bought several of his books but it has taken me this long to read the first one. The miracle of language is really a misnomer and the title should really be “The miracle of English.” Although the first two chapters do deal with language in general, Lederer’s main concern is English and the writers of English over the years who have shaped English into an international language. He points out that English has a greater vocabulary than any other language, with words from the Angles, the French and Latin. And the language does not hesitate to take in words from other languages and, if there isn’t a word, to make one up. Later in the book, he discusses seven of the most influential authors in the English language, praises books and libraries, and ends with a section of quotes from various authors about words. His makes a case for using simple words instead of convoluted language and quotes a section from Ecclesiastes and a version written by George Orwell which is 1 ½ times as long, showing how sterile modern English can be. Then there is the section about how words can change history and the example is chilling.

Lederer, a teacher of high school English and a columnist for a local newspaper, writes in an informal style. I felt that he tried to cover too much in this book since chapters seemed to move from gender problems in English to makers of new words to how to write poetry with examples from several of his high school students. Although he credited authors, he did not cite where the material was originally from. There is an index but it is not complete. The authors that he quoted in the chapter “Words about words” do not appear at all. As an academic librarian and having an interest in language, I expected more from this book. ( )

I would use this book to show connections between the English and Spanish languages, and draw connections to how they were formed and how they are related. ( )