When Dogs Could Talk: Among Words in a State of Grace, by N. Scott Momaday Essay [email protected] Mon, 01/29/2024 - 21:29 Illustration by Marla Johnson“When Dogs Could Talk“ appeared in WLT’s landmark 2007 issue devoted to endangered languages, guest-edited by Sydneyann Binion and David Shook, who were linguistics majors at the University of Oklahoma at the time. We reprint it here in Dr. Momaday’s memory. My friend, the late Vine Deloria Jr., once chided me for remarking too often a time when dogs could talk. I had to admit that he was probably right. I had discovered that Kiowa elders used this formula to indicate something that had happened far back in time. This or that happened a long time ago when dogs could talk. It seems to me a charming and appropriate expression. It is the kind of thing that reveals more and more of itself in the fullness of time. That, by the way, is a mystery which distinguishes the oral tradition, and it is a foundation of language itself. Language seems always to exceed itself, and certainly it exceeds our grasp of it. We know that a certain province of experience is ineffable, that there are limits to what language can express. But the fact is, we have no inkling of what those limits might be. Lewis Thomas has told us that we are at the beginning of language. I suspect that to be true. One evening some years ago, when my eldest daughter was two or three years old, she came to me and asked,... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2024-01-30 03:29:38 UTC ]
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The CEO of HarperCollins U.K. talked about taking his new job and how he plans on taking HC into the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What does it take to sell a new edition of a national dictionary? In Australia, one publisher is hoping a year-long guerilla marketing campaign and the birth of a word will be enough.Over the past year, McCann Melbourne has quietly been seeding a new word across the world-"phubbing." It's a term... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brazilian harbor pilot Francisco Pereira is launching Reflexiva—a publisher, institute, consultancy, and charitable foundation—at next week's Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Restaurateur Scott Conant, author of 'The Scarpetta Cookbook,' explains the Italian idea of sprezzatura, making hard work look easy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With a new CEO and a new set of titles, it's been a busy week (in the midst of a busy year) for Time Inc. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"I love Times Square." Those might not be the words you would expect to hear out of the mouth of a fashion magazine editor, but this kind of statement is typical of Eva Chen, the new editor–in–chief of Lucky Magazine. Since her arrival in June, now with two issues under her belt, she has been... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As the U.S. economy crumbled, Choire Sicha wrote a nonfiction book about its effect on a group of young men in New York in 2009.Let's say you had the misfortune to be young and broke in 2009. Some people moved back in with family members. Some people's parents helped them get a job. Others... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new 'Harry Potter' covers, by artist and writer Kazu Kibuishi, were created to honor the 15th anniversary of the US publication of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anything but a 'misery memoir,' the remarkable and moving, 'She Left Me the Gun' by Emma Brockes explores the power of resilience and humor. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department and 33 state attorneys general want to force Apple to sign contracts with publishers that don't prevent Apple or other ebook stores from competing on price. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Watkins Publishing has promoted Grace Cheetham to the role of publisher, food and drink, for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Robert M. Sacks A book that I read a few years ago has been popping back into and around my head lately, as I continue my pursuit of the future of reading and the future of our publishing business. The Swerve ,... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2013-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sally Gardner has won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for "Maggot Moon;" Levi Pinfold won the Kate Greenaway Medal, which awards excellence in illustration, for his picture book "Black Dog." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The next ebook you buy might not exactly match the printed version. And those changes are there to make sure you're not a pirate. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why did the word 'paperback' appear one hundred years earlier than 'hardback,' when hardbacks had been around much longer? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The OED bent the rules slightly by adding 'tweet' in under 10 years – a nod to the word's rapid and widespread rise into everyday usage. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Joshua Tallent, well-known ebook expert and founder of Ebook Architects, shares his views on current issues in digital publishing and ebook development. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Large states like California and Texas have the most bookstores. No surprise there. But when it comes to bookstores per capita, Montana, Wyoming, and Vermont top the list. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeffrey Yamaguchi, Director of Digital Marketing at Abrams Books, talks about what today's book marketers need in their toolbox to execute successful advertising campaigns. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foyles head of marketing Miriam Robinson has won the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize 2013, with the judges... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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