Review: Going Nucular

So yes, I loved it.

Those of you who know me know that I am a language dork.  I like talking about it, reading about it, and thinking about it: how it's used, what it means, where it came from.  Geoffrey Nunberg has similar interests and infinitely more knowledge, so I was bound to enjoy his work.  And I did: he's funny, insightful and articulate.  And the articles are short essays (mostly transcripts of his NPR pieces, with the odd magazine bit thrown in), which means that it's a good book for the way I read (mostly bus rides, with the odd bit before bed thrown in).

The San Francisco Chronicle said, 'If there is such a thing as a standup linguist, it's Nunberg.'  While I wouldn't go that far (I reckon that'd be Richard Lederer if it's anyone), I do agree with the basic sentiment: he's funny and accessible without talking down to the audience.  He's also topical, taking his inspiration from events of the day and investigating the role that language plays in them.  This does mean that his material doesn't always age well - I've also just read The Way We Talk Now, his collection from the early- and mid-'90s, and some of the pieces do feel a bit dated - but even so, it's interesting to watch him pull it all together.

I will say that I didn't enjoy either of his books as much as Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots and Leaves, but Nunberg and Truss are writing very different books: Nunberg notes that his books are not for the 'grammar sticklers' - which seems to be an unnecessarily narky dig at Truss - but it's not that Nunberg doesn't care about grammar; it seems to be more that he's interested in meaning and usage, not in grammar for grammar's sake.  I don't think that's all that far from Truss, really (her argument that good punctuation is important because it's the good manners of language, rather than just because it's grammatically accurate, would indicate that they're actually pretty close) but Eats... is much more instructional, while Nunberg's essays are more observational in nature, and they have a very different feel as a result.

I would heartily recommend either Going Nucular or The Way We Talk Now to anyone who's interested in language, even if - or even especially if - you don't consider yourself a grammar stickler.  Four strings.

XOXO