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Bonus 33: Reading fiction like a linguist
🕑 Added 2019-11-07 22:31:38 +0000 UTCLike many linguists, we have a difficult time turning the linguist part of our brains off -- which makes reading fiction particularly fun! Sometimes we're lucky enough that there's fiction that features linguists or a dedicated constructed language, but even when that's not the case, language is an interesting part of worldbuilding or narrative voice in a lot of books.
In this bonus episode of Lingthusiasm, Gretchen and Lauren share some of their favourite linguistically interesting fiction, including both classics like Ella Minnow Pea, Frindle, Clockwork Orange, and Cat's Cradle, as well as newer books like The Fifth Season, The Raven Tower, Murderbot Diaries, and This Is How You Lose The Time War.
Warning: this episode may make you want to add some lingfic to your reading list! Share your favourite linguistically-interesting fiction with other lingthusiasts in the comments below!
It's our anniversary month! Most people still find podcasts through word of mouth, so you can help people who don't realize that they need a fun linguistics podcast in their life by recommending Lingthusiasm, either to one specific person directly or in general on social media! Tag us in something interesting you learned from the show and we'll retweet you!
Here are the links mentioned in this episode:
- Lingthusiasm Episode 3 - Arrival of the Linguists
- Lingthusiasm Episode 37 - Linguistics of Scent
- Lingthusiasm Bonus 12 - Creating languages for fun and learning
- Gretchen's lingfic Goodreads shelf
- Gretchen's book rec list
- Gretchen reads A Clockwork Orange
- Lauren reads Cat's Cradle
- The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemesin
- The Raven Tower, Ann Leckie
- Gretchen reads The Raven Tower
- Ancillary Justice, Anne Leckie
- The Buddha in the Attic, Julie Otsuka
- Gretchen reads Too Like the Lightening, Ada Palmer
- Gretchen reads This Is How You Lose The Time War
- The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells
- A Closed and Common Orbit, Becky Chambers
- Gretchen reads Ella Minnow Pea
- Lauren reads Ella Minnow Pea
- Lauren reads Frindle
- Shadowscent
- Because Internet
You can listen to this episode on this page, via the Patreon RSS or download the mp3. A transcript of this episode is available as a Google Doc. Lingthusiasm is also on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com or chat to us on the Patreon page.
Gretchen is on Twitter as @GretchenAMcC and blogs at All ThingsLinguistic. Lauren is on Twitter as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.
Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our audio producer is Claire Gawne, our editorial producer is Sarah Dopierala, our editorial manager is Emily Gref, and our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.
Comments
I think my favourite example of second person narration is in Turtles All the Way Down, where, for a chapter, the main character is experiencing an OCD spiral, and, to show that she's losing control of her thoughts, it was written as "you do this, you think this, you do this" etc.
Lingthusiasm
Oh cool, those sound really interesting! Adding them to my to-read list! -Gretchen
Ahhhh so many good books!! There's an important linguist character in the later books of Marie Brennan's Memoirs of Lady Trent series, and I love the names and pronoun usage in THE GOBLIN EMPEROR by Katherine Addison. Actually there's a scene in that book with a philologist too!
