The language of thieves : my family's obsession with a secret code the Nazis tried to eliminate
(Book)
Author
Status
Adult Nonfiction - South Wing Main Floor
921 Puchner
1 available
921 Puchner
1 available
Description
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Adult Nonfiction - South Wing Main Floor | 921 Puchner | On Shelf |
More Details
Format
Book
Physical Desc
278 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [251]-259) and index.
Description
"Tracking an underground language from one family's obsession to the outcasts who spoke it in order to survive. Centuries ago in middle Europe, a coded language appeared, scrawled in graffiti and spoken only by people who were "wiz" (in the know)--vagrants and refugees, merchants and thieves. This hybrid language was rich in expressions for police, jail, or experiencing trouble, such as "being in a pickle." And beginning with Martin Luther, German Protestants who disliked its speakers wanted to stamp it out. The Nazis hated it most of all. As a boy, Martin Puchner learned this secret language through his father and uncle. Only as an adult did he discover, through a poisonous 1930s tract on Jewish names, that his own grandfather, an historian and archivist, had been a committed Nazi who hated everything his sons and grandsons loved about "the language of thieves." Interweaving family memoir with scholarship and an adventurous foray into the politics of language, Puchner crafts an entirely original journey narrative. In a language born of migration and hybridity, he discovers a witty and resourceful spirit of tolerance that remains essential today"--,Provided by publisher.
Subjects
LC Subjects
Autobiographies.
Biographies.
Cant -- Germany.
College teachers -- United States -- Biography.
German language -- Slang.
Germany -- Languages -- Political aspects.
Language policy -- Germany -- History -- 20th century.
Puchner, Martin, -- 1969-
Puchner, Martin, -- 1969- -- Family.
Thieves -- Language.
Tramps -- Language.
Biographies.
Cant -- Germany.
College teachers -- United States -- Biography.
German language -- Slang.
Germany -- Languages -- Political aspects.
Language policy -- Germany -- History -- 20th century.
Puchner, Martin, -- 1969-
Puchner, Martin, -- 1969- -- Family.
Thieves -- Language.
Tramps -- Language.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Puchner, M. (2020). The language of thieves: my family's obsession with a secret code the Nazis tried to eliminate (First edition.). W. W. Norton & Company, Inc..
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Puchner, Martin, 1969-. 2020. The Language of Thieves: My Family's Obsession With a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Puchner, Martin, 1969-. The Language of Thieves: My Family's Obsession With a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2020.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Puchner, Martin. The Language of Thieves: My Family's Obsession With a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate First edition., W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2020.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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