Words on Language
Are we, the Bulgarians, Slavic? Why is a "gymnasium" a "school" here and a "gym" in America? What is the origin of wine, is Baba Marta dangerous, does a camel go through the eye of a needle?
"Words on Language" is a book that is like no other book published in this country so far in terms of content and form. It brings together the descriptions, meanings, interrelationships of words, speech, and orders of meaning and punctuation. It draws on linguistics to traverse the fields of semantics, semiotics and ethnology, the labyrinths of genetics and philosophy. Telling the story of language, it unravels the ritual mystery of etiquette formulas, shows the relationship of food to the way we speak and think, brings to life the meaning of calendar holidays...
The richness of this fan of topics makes it possible to flip through the book, like Pavic said of the Khazar Dictionary, "from left to right or right to left." If you read it that way, you won't lose any of the information - any rich dictionary allows it. But if you want to enjoy not only the knowledge, but also the context in which the author skillfully synthesizes the millennia-old wisdom of the language, then follow the thread of the content.
Ilya Zlatanov
Ilya Zlatanov became acquainted with the diversity and richness of Bulgarian languages early on. Language became the main subject of his research and linguistics became his profession. He specializes at the Institute of Balkan Studies, publishes articles in linguistic journals and conference proceedings. He adheres to the comparative-historical method in linguistics, but also enters the field of interdisciplinarity. His research focuses on the roots of language, man, tradition and everyday life, indirectly building a bridge between the past and the present. His language promotion materials, published in periodicals as well as in online publications and platforms, are of interest to a wide range of readers.
