LINGUIST List 2.445

Wed 28 Aug 1991

Disc: Linguistic Novels

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. "Charles A. Bigelow", Linguistic font names
2. Maggi Sokolik, Re: Linguistic Novels
3. Ron Smyth, Summary of novels etc.

Not only do linguistic terms sometimes appear in the titles of novels,
a few linguistic/semiotic/semiologic terms have become the names of
fonts (typefaces). They are:
Syntax	- designed by Hans Ed. Meier (Zurich)
Symbol	- designed by Aldo Novarese of (Turin?)
Signa	- designed by Andre Guertler, Christian Mengelt, Erich
		Gschwind (Basle)
Icone	- designed by Adrian Frutiger (Paris)
Curiously, they are all more or less sans-serif (Signa has slight flares
at the terminals of its strokes, and Icone has pronounced flares that are
almost serifs).

More on the recent novel DR. SYNTAX by Michael Petracca. It
concerns a purloined volume of "DR. SYNTAX", which was bequeathed
to the protagonist, a grad student in English. The hero is not as
concerned with the volume itself, but with the dissertation notes
he has left inside. It's a humorous/bizarre little tale, worth
a read. It even has footnotes.

Chris Culy's question about linguistic terms in titles and my followup about
linguist heroes have elicited quite a response! Chris, I tried to email
your directly but my messages are always sent back. You said you would
post responses sent to you directly. I've compiled the responses that
have been posted here as of noon EST August 27. I'll be out of town
for a week and still look forward to hearing more. Let's get some
Hollywood film makers involved! After all, someone has put out a movie
called "The Doctor". Why not "The Linguist"??
Ron Smyth
smythlake.scar.utoronto.ca
********************************************************************************
M. A. R. Barker: The Man of Gold
 AnthonyBurgess: The Long Day Wanes [The Malayan Trilogy in the U.S.];
 The Doctor is Sick; Little Wilson and Big God
P. M. Carlson (Patricia?): Murder is Academic.
David Carkeet: Double Negative; Full Catastrophe
Samuel Delany: first novel (?); Babel 17, 1967, London: Gollancz.
Peter Dickinson: The Poison Oracle (?); The Glass-Sided Ants' Nest
Suzette Haden Elgin: Elgin Native Tongue and others
Aaron Elkins : The Dark Place
Guy Endore: Detour at Night (1959)
Patricia Highsmith: mystery novel
Tony Hillerman: novels, including Coyote Waits
Hockett, Charles (1940's; scifi story)
Walter Meyer: Aliens and Linguists (1980). U of Georgia Press.
 ISBN 0-8203-0487
Michael Petracca: Dr. Syntax
Robert Sheckley: Shall We Have a Little Talk
Raymond Sokolow: Native Intelligence
Jack Vance: The Languages of Pao, 1974, Mayflower Books Ltd.
Ian Watson: The Embedding 1973-75, London: Quartet Books.
Thanks to the following contributors: Joyce Neu , Susan Fischer, Scott
 DeLancey, Jonathan Mead, Paul Chapin, Jason Johnston, Helen Dry, Ellen
 Contini-Morava,
Jack Morava, Paul Saka, Tom Green, Michael Kac, Jeutonne P. Brewer,
Stuart Spore, Ralf Thiede, Pamela Munro, Barbara Abbott, George Aaron Broadwell,
 Vicki Fromkin.