WILLIS, GEORGE. Philosophy of speech. *$2.50 Macmillan 404
(Eng ed 20–17996)
“Mr Willis’s book is not so much a connected system of philosophy as a series of thoughts on various subjects connected with the faculty of speech. Beginning with a discussion of the origins of speech, he goes on to show the connection of the history of speech with the history of thought; he devotes a chapter to metaphor, another to grammar, another to the question of spelling and spelling reform, others to purism and correct speech, and a final section to speech and education.”—Ath
Ath p383 Mr 19 ’20 130w
“One does not always agree with Mr Willis, but one can never find him anything but very entertaining and stimulating.”
+ − Ath p601 My 7 ’20 600w
“This is, indeed, a strange book. It seems to be a survival from the linguistic dark ages. The author does not disclose any intimacy with Anglo-Saxon, with Gothic or with old high English, nor does he show any scholarship in comparative philology.” Brander Matthews
− N Y Times 25:24 Je 27 ’20 2500w
“The present writer has not for years come across a book in which highly disputable assertions were mixed up with facts with such complete impartiality. Nothing could be more admirable than the author’s attack upon the ordinary grammar-books, and his exposition of the causes which have led to the extraordinary muddle-headedness of these compilations.”