-------- MANTEX NEWSLETTER --------
Number 112 - January 2006 - ISSN 1470-1863
Happy New Year to all our subscribers!
Language - Literature - Styles - Dictionary
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0--- 'Dictionary of Contemporary Slang'
Do you know what a 'skanker' is, what
'yogurt-weavers' do, or what somebody who
was 'smuggling peanuts' would be up to?
These, and many other terms from current
street talk, are listed in Tony Thorne's
excellent dictionary of slang - and it really
is as up to date as it's possible to be.
The entries come from Britain, Australia,
America, and other English-speaking countries.
Anybody with an interest in modern language
trends will thank you for this as a Xmas
present.
If you haven't guessed, 'Skanker' is a synonym
for 'chav' (last year's most popular new word),
and 'yogurt-weavers' is a pejorative term for
those people involved in 'New-Age' activities
and ethnic pastimes. But 'smuggling peanuts'
is a female displaying her nipples through
thin clothing. Bet you didn't know that one.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/thorne.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #1
Who was the last president of the Soviet Union?
0--- 'New Hart's Rules' - style guide
If you didn't know, 'Hart's Rules' was the
traditional style guide for writers and editors
at the Oxford University Press. It was started
as a slim pamphlet in 1893, then it grew and
grew and went through thirty-nine editions to
become a standard guide to typographical standards
and the presentation of text in UK publications.
Now it's been updated, expanded, and revised to
the extent that it's almost a completely new book.
It covers everything from how to lay out text on a
page, how to present references and bibliographies,
how to deal with foreign languages, tables,
illustrations, and how to present scientific
and mathematical data.
If you are interested in delivering your writing
in a professional manner, this is a sound investment
that will see you through your career.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-hart_new.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #2
What is a computer's tiniest unit of information?
0--- 'Writing for Broadcast Journalism' - new book
If you want to write for radio, television, or
the new media of Internet broadcasting - are
special skills required? Yes they are, argues
Rick Thompson in his new book of guidance for
broadcast journalists.
For instance, your words will be *spoken*,
not read on the page, and your audience will
only get one chance to grasp your message.
It's a book packed with good advice and insights,
especially on politics and current affairs. He
reveals for instance how these are sometimes
*shaped* by the people who write the news, or
the press handouts.
Think for a moment about that phoney and criminal
"45 minute warning" which led to the suicide of a
government advisor and the invasion of Iraq.
I expected a guidance manual on clear writing -
and it delivers that. But there's a lot more
besides. See the detailed review at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/thompson_2.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #3
In which US state is the jail Sing Sing?
0--- 'An Introduction to Book History'
Book history is one of the more interesting
new branches of literary studies.
It looks at issues such as the book as a
physical object, the changing role of authors,
how people read books, how publishing works
as a commercial enterprise, the role of libraries
and education in the spread of literacy, and
even which books people buy - and why.
This is a perfectly straightforward guide to
these any many other topics by two leading
academics in this field.
They cover the whole field - from the era
when books were made by hand on papyrus and
parchment, through the revolution brought about
by printing, right up to the modern period of
publishing conglomerates, mass marketing, and
the development of electronic 'books'. Details -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/finkelstein.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #4
Whose diary ran from 17 June 1942 to 1 August 1944?
0--- Political Vocabulary Analysis
Morgan Friedman, the guy who runs Overheard
in New York, has a neat site which predicts
the political leanings of your writing.
Just enter some text, in English, and Wordcounter's
Political Vocabulary Analysis will statistically
measure the document's vocabulary to try to predict
its political leanings - left or right.
Mind you, he admits that speeches by Hitler
come out 'Neutral'. Try for yourself at -
http://www.wordcounter.com/politics/
0--- Pub quiz - Question #5
What did Plato claim had sunk into the sea
in 'a single day and a night of misfortune'?
0--- 'The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors'
This is another in the Oxford University Press
series of reissues in their new writer's reference
and style guide series. They are handsome,
handbook-sized reissues of their best-sellers.
This one is compendium of difficult, ambiguous,
and problematic terms, with guidance on how
they should be presented typographically.
It includes such matters as which names. places,
and organisations require capital letters, how
to present foreign terms, and how to hyphenate
word breaks. One for the specialist. Details at
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-wri_new.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #6
Who was the first Pope to come from a communist country?
0--- 'New Media Language'
Jean Aitchison and Diana Lewis are co-editors of
this collection of essays on language change, new
vocabulary, and forms of social rhetoric and
communication skills - and they both contribute
first rate pieces themselves.
Topics include the way news is reported; how
press conferences are conducted at the White
House; forms of public abuse in 'the new
incivility'; how to describe the taste of wine;
and modern media myths; and why lexicographers
have problems with speech and email.
This will be of interest to anyone interested
in language and media studies - especially new
media, current affairs, and political life today.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/aitchison.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #7
What nationality is the pianist Martha Argerich?
0--- 'New Oxford Spelling Dictionary'
The third volume in the OUP reference
trilogy is the New Oxford Spelling
Dictionary. This is another ingenious
compilation which removes all non-problematic
words and shows how to spell those (such as
'yoghurt' and 'judgement') where there is doubt.
It also provides guidance on the spelling in
English of foreign terms such as 'danses
macabres' and 'medaillon'.
The advantage of this dictionary is that you
can get to your problem term more quickly,
look up the spelling - and that's it!
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oxf-spel_new.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #8
What colour is an aircraft's sealed flight recorder?
0--- 'Literary Theory: The Basics'
During the twentieth century literary theory has
gone through a helter-skelter of styles and modes.
This primer is a survey of all that's taken place
between 1900 and 2000, and it covers new criticism,
Marxism, feminism, structuralism, poststructuralism,
deconstruction, post-colonialism, postmodernism,
and even gender and queer theory - which is the very
latest fashion.
Hans Bertens takes a fairly even-handed view of all
these schools and theories - and he's not afraid to
point to their weaknesses as well as their strengths.
So - if you want to know where literary criticism
is at right now, look no further than this.
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/bertens.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #9
How many is a billion?
0--- 'Head First: HTML with CSS & XHTML'
This is a manual on web design which takes a
novel approach to teaching its basic techniques.
Instead of dry technology, the authors Eric
and Elizabeth Freeman go for a fun and games
approach - literally. They show pictures,
play games, and set puzzles so that you can
check what you have learned.
As a result, the book is lavishly illustrated
and you get several approaches to the same
topic - at least one of which should appeal
to your learning style.
And it's not a trivial pedagogy. By the end
of the book they are deep into style sheets
and interactivity. Further details at -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/freeman.htm
0--- Pub quiz - Question #10
Who dies by spontaneous combustion in "Bleak House"?
0--- 'Banterist' - top blog
The Net-savvy Guardian alerted its readers to
a funny blog out of New York called 'Banterist'.
It's written by Brian Sack, who reveals that
his most popular entries for 2005 include such
items as 'Helpful Plastic Surgery Tips',
'Playboy in Braille' and the story of how he
sold some old DKNY leather trousers on eBay.
He also has a special 'Grammar Cop' collection
of entries, with photos of mis-spellings in ads.
http://www.banterist.com
There's also a compulsively viewable listing
of the 'Best of 2005' in books, films, comedy,
media, theatre, comics, paranormal, and more at
http://www.fimoculous.com/year-review-2005.cfm
0--- Quotable quotes
"Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a
piece of blank paper until your forehead bleeds."
Douglas Adams
0--- Readers' Letters + Corrections
--- The Dog: a Man's Best Friend ---
Margaret Bird writes from Keele University:
"Dogs can be trained to warn both children and
adults of imminent epileptic seizures, and there
is at least one organisation which trains them
to do so; and support people with other disabilities."
http://www.support-dogs.org.uk/content.php
--- Splendours and Miseries of an Editor ---
Elsa and Edgardo Perez write from Puerto Rico to
point out, a propos of Pub Quiz Question #8
'In which novels does Lucien de Rubempré feature?'
"The answer is given in the singular 'novel'.
I seem to recall that besides appearing in
'Splendeurs', Lucien's earlier history is told
in 'Les Illusions Perdues'. So the answer
should in fact be novels, plural."
0--- PUB QUIZ - ANSWERS
#1 Who was the last president of the Soviet Union?
Answer: Mikhail Gorbachov
#2 What is a computer's tiniest unit of information?
Answer: A bit
#3 In which US state is the jail Sing Sing?
Answer: New York
#4 Whose diary ran from 17 June 1942 to 1 August 1944?
Answer: Anne Frank's
#5 What did Plato claim had sunk into the sea
in 'a single day and a night of misfortune'?
Answer: Atlantis
#6 Who was the first Pope to come from a communist country?
Answer: Pope John-Paul II
#7 What nationality is the pianist Martha Argerich?
Answer: Argentinean
#8 What colour is an aircraft's sealed flight recorder?
Answer: Fluorescent orange
#9 How many is a billion?
Answer: A thousand million
#10 Who dies by spontaneous combustion in "Bleak House"?
Answer: Krook - proprietor of a rag and bottle shop
0--- COMING SOON
'Oxford Companion to Jazz'
'Oxford Spanish Dictionary'
'Web Services Essentials'
'Oxford Spellchecker and Dictionary'
'eBay - The Missing Manual'
'The Weekend Novelist'
'Web Site Management Hacks'
'Penguin Dictionary of Jokes'
'Yahoo! Hacks'
'Word Origins'
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News-112-January-2006
ISSN 1470-1863
The British Library