Language on Vacation: An Olio of Orthographical Oddities

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Language on Vacation: An Olio of Orthographical Oddities is a 1965 book written by Dmitri Borgmann. It is generally considered to be the first book solely devoted to logology that was more about supplying information than giving puzzles.

Logology is the study of words with an emphasis on letter patterns, often as part of recreational wordplay such as anagrams, palindromes and isograms, rather than on meaning. The word "logology" was popularized, by this book.[citation needed]

Borgmann hoped the book would "elevate recreational linguistics to the same high level of esteem now enjoyed by recreational mathematics", as well as cultivating in the reader an awareness of the beauty of words, and the ability to produce "word beauty".

[edit] Chapters

  • Chapter 1: Palindromes and Reversals
    • Section A: Word Palindromes
    • Section B: Word Reversals
    • Section C: Sentence Palindromes
    • Section D: Sentence Reversals
  • Chapter 2: Transpositions
  • Chapter 3: Anagrams and Antigrams
  • Chapter 4: Word Surgery
  • Chapter 5: Pangrammatics and Codes
  • Chapter 6: Letters and Letter Patterns
  • Chapter 7: Geometric Forms
  • Chapter 8: Numerical Logology
  • Chapter 9: The Presidency: A Study in Depth

[edit] Other Books by the same Author

  • Beyond Language (Adventures in Word and Thought) Copyright 1967. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons
  • Curious Crosswords (edited and annotated by Borgmann) Copyright 1970. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons
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