In his book about language, A Mouthful of Air, Anthony Burgess offers a lyrical description of the satisfying way that grammar supports and enhances the thoughts we wish to express. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “A Mouthful of Air”
In his book, A Mouthful of Air, the writer Anthony Burgess talks about grammar, and he says grammar has its own fascination, and in a ghostly manner, its own peculiar truth.
There is a satisfactory boniness about grammar, which the flesh of vocabulary, or lexis, requires before it can become vertebrate and walk the earth.
That’s beautiful.
That’s very lovely.
What’s the book again?
A Mouthful of Air.
Which is a great title for a book, too.
Yeah, yeah.
I want to go read it now because he had a real fascination with languages and foreign languages.
And I love what he says about the boniness of grammar.
Boniness of grammar.
The structure in which everything hangs.
Yes.
And then it gets up and walks.
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