The book is concerned with the child's acquisition of names (by which is meant words that refer to objects - including proper names, common nouns in some uses, and pronouns in some uses). Four chapters in the book's first section, Matters Mainly Psychological, describe empirical observations that explore how a child copes with the fact that many different name-like words can be applied to a single object. A second major section, Matters Mainly Linguistic, contains chapters on phonology, the learning of grammatical categories, the definite and indefinite articles, and the plural. A third section, Matters Mainly Philosophical, focuses entirely on the complex issues of reference and meaning. A final chapter reflects on the implications of the book for developmental psychology.An MIT Press/Bradford Book.

Rhyming text depicts a father sharing with his child such things as seven words that all mean blue and the name of every kind of cloud.

The Names of Things is a book about a man and a generation. Born to a working-class family in Toronto, David Helwig grew up in the haunted town of Niagara-on-the-Lake long before it became a fashionable summer destination for charter coaches of American tourists. David won a scholarship from General Motors to attend the University of Toronto and launched himself into theatrical productions at Hart House and mingled with such writers as John Robert Colombo, Henry Beissel, Edward Lacey, David Lewis Stein and Edna Paris. After working in summer stock with young actors including Timothy Findley, Gordon Pinsent and Jackie Burroughs, he spent a couple of years in the suburbs of Birkenhead, then moved to Kingston where, in the 1960s he shared the world of little magazines with Tom Marshall and Michael Ondaatje and the world of prisons with the inmates he taught. In the 1970s he worked under John Hirsch at the CBC. He edited books for Oberon Press. He was part of the generation of young Canadian writers who believed they could achieve anything. He also shares a touching account of family life, of learning to be a father. Poetry, some of it never before published, catches the echoes of the life he lived. From childhood during the Second World War to becoming a grandfather at the millennium, this is the story of one man and his connections with the history of Canada in the latter part of the twentieth century.

It was not easy for Susan Brind Morrow to leave her rural New York home for the Egyptian desert. But once she was there, the tragic memories of two dead siblings and a childhood of eccentric withdrawal crumbled in the dry heat along with any notion of safety. This book interweaves a moving memoir of an American childhood with an adventurous woman's courageous search for hidden meanings.

Fascinating detective stories into the connections between names and related subjects.

Finalist for the 2013 Chautauqua Prize "The writing in The Names of Things is beautiful, hypnotic, and exacting…" — Huffington Post Books "With vivid detail and thoughtful prose, Wood delivers a unique and heartbreaking story of love, loss, and the universal human experience of seeking acceptance." —The Los Angeles Review "Quietly affecting…This is an exciting debut, an author with a distinctive experience and a lovely and powerful voice." — Terrain.org “You seize a bit of life, and life damages you.” The anthropologist’s wife, an artist, didn’t want to follow her husband to the remote desert of northeast Africa to live with camel-herding nomads. But wanting to be with him, she endured the trip, only to fall desperately ill years later with a disease that leaves her husband with more questions than answers. When the anthropologist discovers a deception that shatters his grief and guilt, he begins to reevaluate his love for his wife as well as his friendship with one of the nomads he studied. He returns to Africa to make sense of what happened, traveling into the far reaches of the Chalbi Desert, where he must sift through the layers of his memories and reconcile them with what he now knows. Set in a windswept wilderness menaced by hyenas and lions, The Names of Things weaves together the stories of an anthropologist’s journey into the desert, his firsthand accounts of the nomads' death rituals, and his struggle to find the names of things for which no words exist. Anthropologist John Colman Wood’s debut novel is an exquisite, haunting exploration of the meaning of love and the rituals of grief.

Why is a horse called a horse? and not a giraffe or a flapdoodle? Discover philosophy with Plato!

Dive Into the Fun Facts Behind Names and Word Origins #1 Bestseller in Words, Language & Grammar, Etymology The best-selling book is back in it’s second volume with more names, more words, and even more in-between than before! What’s in a name? The answer is far more complex and interesting than you may think. From the person behind the popular Youtube channel, NameExplain, comes the second volume of his best-selling book The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between. This new book is a fun, interesting and educational journey through the world of etymology. It covers a huge array of names from a variety of topic areas, and includes a bunch of random facts behind the names. From first names, to bodies of water?there’s no name big or small, important or obscure that won’t be explained. Find fun facts. Presented in a light and entertaining manner, The Origin of Names compels you to learn a ton of things you didn’t know you wanted to know. Unlike a dictionary, everything in this book is easy to understand and can be read from start to finish, or in short bursts. It’s also a lot more fun to read?Patrick explains each name with jokes and quips you’re bound to enjoy, and it’s full of pictures too! Be the know-it-all you always wanted to be. In The Origin of Names you’ll: Learn fascinating word origins and bizarre name meanings Be able to entertain yourself and friends with random facts Gain honor and renown for your unrivaled knowledge of etymology If you enjoyed books like Interesting Stories For Curious People, Stuff You Should Know, or The Great Book of American Idioms, then you’ll love The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between: Volume II.

Baby-naming has become an art form with parents today, but where do parents go to find names and their meanings? The Name Book offers particular inspiration to those who want more than just a list of popular names. From Aaron to Zoe, this useful book includes the cultural origin, the literal meaning, and the spiritual significance of more than 10,000 names. An appropriate verse of Scripture accompanies each name, offering parents a special way to bless their children.