Words Fail Me

by Teresa Monachino

In this quirky new title designer and typographer Teresa Monachino rounds up and breaks down a variety of unruly words: words lacking in integrity, misleading words that do not mean what they say, words that mean more than they say, words with inconsistent pronunciation or spellings that are just plain cruel! Using striking and witty graphic design the author demands answers to such troublesome questions as, why is abbreviation such a long word, does monosyllabic really need five syllables and why is lisp so hard to say if you have one?

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Design, Writing, Reference, Linguistics

144 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant. Not a proper reading book but putting it on here so I remember to dip back into it.

[Alyson Indrunas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for this treat, Annie❤️

[Ernest Junius · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Why does monosyllabic have five syllables?’
‘Being blunt can result in cutting remark.’

If the English language is a product this book is a compilation of customer complaints. It records complaints of erratic and erroneous logic behind some English words in a neatly designed hard-cover book. Albeit the title expresses disappointment and angst, the content is all about amusing wordplay arranged in minimalistic graphic of red, white, and black, without any tinge of exasperation from the author.

This book is quite a delightful read. But I am sorry that this is a coffee table book and not a normal book. By being a coffee table book, it missed the chance to go deep with the subject, for books in coffee table category does not allow the subject to get too deep (taxing for the mind).

I love some coffee table books. Mostly the visual ones, like Daido Moriyama picture books for example, or Nobuyoshi Araki’s Tokyo Lucky Hole, for pictures have an indefinite depth about them—you can stare them for ages and still find something new. But this, words-laced-with-graphic-coffee table book, is different. There is just something very wrong seeing a tiny 5-letter-word cowering in the centre of a page surrounded by a great white space.

It is also tough to stare at a word for a long time and finding something else than the meaning of the word itself. This shortcoming results a very brief reading (15 minutes or less).

That being said, there is one chapter of the book that’s worth a special mention: Antigrams, which is the opposite of anagrams, that means a word or phrase that is formed by rearranging the letters of another but having a direct opposite meaning or contradiction. Here are some examples:

astronomers — no more stars
within earshot — I won’t hear this
silent — listen
violence — nice love
and so on

I just marvel at these revelations (inventions?) and wondered how the author can come up with these antigrams. How many else are there? There could be more, I guess. And any of us can find more with the blessing of happy accidents.

This book is a testament that language, created by humans, sometimes can be illogical and inefficient just like humans do. I imagine it would be nice to have this book on a stylish table in the drawing room to entertain important guests, for the book’s brief and stylish wit may whet a long, intelligent conversation.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and clever! This short book highlights all sorts of quirks in the English language and really gets you thinking. A great book for graphic design students to look at ways of expressing type.

[Fatema AlKa'by · Rating 5 out of 5]

.

[robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

a whimsical, perfectly designed little book about the vagaries and bald-faced effrontery of the English language. It's really cleverly designed; the words speak for themselves, their inconsistencies pointed out using variegated ink and great page design.

One of my favorite sections is the 'Antigrams' - words which, rearranged, contradict the original word, my favorite set being "elvis" and "lives."

Or! The page which proclaims, 'this word contains no fewer than four pronunciations of the letter e' - "re-entered." You can't help but sound it out.

Great little book

[Amni Yusoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a writer I can fully attest to the lack of sense(to put it mildly) in the English language. Teresa Monachino agrees, and takes her readers on a romp through the many inconsistent and ridiculous words in the language.

[Lutfi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aku suka permainan kata di buku ini. Mulai dari vocab dalam bahasa Inggris yang "does this make sense?" sampai sarcasm ada semua. Tipografinya, pemilihan kata dan penyusunannya... Ku suka! A light reading, perfect for when you're bored.

[Arnar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully designed and fascinating book about the humorous pitfalls, oxymorons, and conundrums in the English language.

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely little book and beautifully designed. However, it was so short I read it in about 20 minutes! Would make a nice little gift or bathroom read.

[ZZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A witty little book on the oddities of the English language. A delightful visual treat to those who love words

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilarious

[Tekla Inashvili · Rating 5 out of 5]

antagonist - not against

[Russio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some wit and amusement, especially earlier on, but to charge a tenner for this is requires a dubious approach to value for money.

[melhara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why is

abbreviation such a long word? Why does monosyllabic have five syllables?"

Words Fail Me is the perfect gift for english majors, english teachers, and anyone who speaks or reads english! Each page contains a word or phrase that makes you think, laugh, and question the efficiency of the English language, all the while admiring the wonderfully simplistic graphic designs.

P.S. Can I have a poster-size version of this book to frame and mount on my wall?

[Initially NO · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful little word-picture book. Only takes a few minutes to flick though. Nicely fits into the little gift-book/ coffee table book genres too.

Very thoughtful in design, particularly the use of colour.

Could be used successfully as a teaching aid, for those moments where humour is needed, to break-out from the difficulties of the cumbersome concepts of the English language.

[duane brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely clever and creatively made. A very interesting and insightful look at words and the English language. You won't learn a great deal, but it sure is fun to look at. If expressive typography is your thing, you'll dig it.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Alan Fletchers playful work then you'll love this typo play with words. Lovely creative thinking of how words can represent visually what they mean and fletcher even has a hand in the making of this book.

Like someone said, not a deep read just a lovely book on typographic play.

[Alison Hardtmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a slight book, but so pleasing to hold. The contents consist of clever typographic illustrations of a variety of word play. I've put my copy in the guest bathroom, as it is exactly the kind of book which invites both a rapid flip through and a close study of a single page.

[Cecillia · Rating 5 out of 5]

dazzling yet puzzling :D indeed words fail me :)

[Elizabeth J · Rating 3 out of 5]

interestingly how words mean the opposite of what they define.

[Pamela Lico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a clever book! I devoured it cover to cover.

[Mugren Ohaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice concept. However, the entire book could have been written in 10 pages. A page per example is just a waste of space that could have been used to talk about more terms.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[magnolia · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautifully designed book. the book that i could read over and over and it always amuses me.

[Aisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most amazing books I've read ❤️ It makes you think about every single word in this book.