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Secret Language - Barry J. Blake

Secret Language

Codes, Tricks, Spies, Thieves, and Symbols

(Autor)

Buch | Softcover
342 Seiten
2011
Oxford University Press (Verlag)
978-0-19-969162-3 (ISBN)
CHF 22,50 inkl. MwSt
This book is about language designed to mean what it does not seem to mean. Codes protect secrets. Symbol and magic hide meanings to imperil or delight. Languages made to confuse let insiders talk openly without being understood by others. Barry Blake looks in depth at these and many more and illuminates the most arcane and curious uses of language
This book is about language that is designed to mean what it does not seem to mean. Ciphers and codes conceal messages and protect secrets. Symbol and magic hide meanings to delight or imperil. Languages made to baffle and confuse let insiders talk openly without being understood by those beyond the circle.

Barry Blake looks at these and many more. He explores the history and uses of the slangs and argots of schools and trades. He traces the centuries-old cants used by sailors and criminals in Britain, among them Polari, the mix of Italian, Yiddish, and slang once spoken among strolling players and circus folk and taken up by gays in the twentieth century. He examines the sacred languages of ancient cults and religions, uncovers the workings of onomancy, spells, and gematria, looks into the obliqueness of allusion and parody, and celebrates the absurdities of euphemism and jargon.

Secret Language takes the reader on fascinating excursions down obscure byways of language, ranging across time and culture. With revelations on every page it will entertain anyone with an urge to know more about the most arcane and curious uses of language.

Barry Blake taught at La Trobe University for many years. He is an expert on all aspects of language and a well known authority on Australian Aboriginal languages. His most recent book, All About Language was published by Oxford University Press in 2008.

1. On Being Mysterious ; 2. From Anagrams to Cryptic Crosswords ; 3. Talking in Riddles ; 4. Ciphers and Codes ; 5. Biblical Secrets ; 6. Words of Power ; 7. Words to Avoid ; 8. Jargon, Slang, and 'Secret Languages' ; 9. The Everyday Oblique ; 10. Elusive Allusions ; 11. Finale ; Appendix: answers to the problems ; Select Bibliography ; Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag 7.7.2011
Zusatzinfo Line Drawings, Tables
Verlagsort Oxford
Sprache englisch
Maße 130 x 191 mm
Gewicht 370 g
Themenwelt Geisteswissenschaften Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft Sprachwissenschaft
Informatik Theorie / Studium Kryptologie
ISBN-10 0-19-969162-2 / 0199691622
ISBN-13 978-0-19-969162-3 / 9780199691623
Zustand Neuware
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