[Publib] Book title stumper

[Tom Cooper]

Mark Twain does have some really hilarious pieces on the German language
(see The Awful German Language, or The Tale of the Fishwife and Its Sad
Fate), but this does not describe them. 

Tom Cooper, Director 
Webster Groves Public Library 
301 E. Lockwood 
Webster Groves, MO 63119 

(314) 961-3784 
tcooper at wgpl.org 

Do not judge beliefs by their plausibility, but by the harm they may do.

                                             Nassim Nicholas Taleb 

________________________________

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Luscombe
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 6:45 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Book title stumper

 

Hi Publibbers,

 

I received a call from a patron today looking for a story that he read
about 20 years ago. However, he said the story was not a new one of that
time, just that's when he read it. He cannot remember the title or
author but gave this description.

 

It's an essay or short story. It starts in English and progresses to
tell how a language might be changed by substituting a letter or symbol
for a letter we have in English. As the story goes on the author is
subtly changing the letters to the symbols or new letters he has
discussed so that by the end of the story you (the reader) are actually
reading this "new" language that has morphed from English. He strongly
thinks the "new" language is German or is similar to German. He also has
a vague notion that it might have been written by Samuel Clemens but
says that is very vague and could be totally wrong. 

 

At first I thought he was describing Ella Minnow Pea but as he went on I
realized that story does not meet his description. Also, it wasn't
written too long ago. Does anyone have any idea what he is talking
about? 

 

Tracy E. Luscombe

Genealogy Librarian

McKinney Public Library System

101 E. Hunt Street

McKinney, TX 75069

tluscombe at mckinneytexas.org

 

 

 

 

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