Reader Views

The Origin of the Baltic and Vedic Languages

Although I speak several languages, I have to admit that my knowledge of the Baltic languages is practically non-existent. During my visits to the Baltic States I’ve always felt considerably lost, since I was not able to understand even the most basic street signs, nor recognize any words. But I have to admit that I never gave much thought to the origins of the Baltic languages, and even if I would have, I would certainly not have sought a parallel with the Vedic languages. Yet the arguments, presented in “The Origins of the Baltic and Vedic Languages,” sounded very persuasive to me.

The author approached the subject through a method of comparative analysis, which involved the study of Dainas, the mytho-poetical verses from Latvia and the Vedic hymns of Rg-veda and Atharva-veda. While the Vedic hymns have been thoroughly researched by a wide range of linguists, the research on the Dainas have been severely limited, and the reasons for that became much clearer to me after reading the chapter on the Latvians, their history and their language.

While the chapters dealing with the similarities and parallelism found in the Dainas and the Vedic hymns were somewhat difficult for me to follow, since I am not an ethnolinguist, I nevertheless found a lot of interesting information in this monograph. I was fascinated by the way information gathered from those ancient texts really opened a window into a life so distant from us. There was great information on the migratory patterns and paths taken by the Indo-Europeans; and even on the social structure, with an emphasis on the fact that the Indo-European social structure was not quite as patriarchal as it was previously thought – and taught.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the author’s conclusion about the Baltic languages being the oldest Indo-European languages in existence, the validity and true worth of the P.I.E. and some of the other deductions, I found the arguments to be well presented, nicely organized and written in a clear, concise and approachable way. While this is not a book that will attract a very wide circle of readers, “The Origin of the Baltic and Vedic Languages”will certainly be of interest to linguists, ethnologists and all those who possess an intensely curious mind.

The Origin of the Baltic and Vedic Languages
Janis Paliepa
AuthorHouse (2011)
ISBN 9781456729028
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (8/11)

Clip-Clop, Tippity-Tap: French Vocabulary on the Farm

In “Clip-Clop, Tippity-Tap” all of the animals on the farm have different jobs that they have to do every day.  There is a little horse and his name is Mini-Moi.  He isn’t even close to as big as the other horses.  All of the other horses do things like pull wagons and help the farmer plow.  Mini-Moi is too little to do those things.  He is pretty sad about that but in the end he finds something he can do.  That is good because I think that there is always something that somebody can do even if they are little.

I liked that I learned some different words in French from reading “Clip-Clop, Tippity-Tap.”  It was sometimes hard to figure out how to say them though.  Even mom had trouble.  Some of the words were easy to say like for bird in French it says oiseau (wazo).  But some of the others where it says how to say it had things like buisson (bɥisɔ̃) for bush.  I really didn’t have any idea what that meant in the parentheses.  It sounds kind of like the word is spelled though.  We did listen to how to say the words on the computer though for the ones I wanted to know.  It was fun to learn new words.  My favorite one we learned was poulet, which is chicken in French.

Clip-Clop, Tippity-Tap: French Vocabulary on the Farm
Kim Chatel
Guardian Angel Publishing (2011)
ISBN 9781616331368
Reviewed by Cayden Aures (age 6.5) for Reader Views (3/11)

Miracles Among Us: A Collection of True Miracle Stories

While the definition of a miracle surely differs from one person to another, we have all experienced at least some kind of a miracle in our lives. Very often we refer to them as miracles, although I’ve heard people say that they’ve been saved/warned by angels, met their guardian spirit, had incredible luck or some people would simply attribute those events to a strong inner voice. Whatever one calls those events, I think we will all agree that life events sometimes take on a strange, extremely fortunate turn and I, for one, have no problem viewing that as a miracle.

Whatever your personal beliefs are, I feel that most people will eventually encounter an event or series of events that will test their patience, their faith or simply their will to go on. Whether you are at such a point right now, or whether you simply believe in being prepared for something of a kind, Nicole Sorkin’s “Miracles Among Us” is a handy little book to keep around. Her collection of true miracle stories is a varied one, and I am certain that at least some of the stories will resonate with you. Tales of traffic accidents avoided, medical miracles and quite unexpected recoveries, simple acts of kindness leading to bigger things, signs from those who have already passed on, but are still keeping an eye on their loved ones, or a simple miraculous finding of a perfect kitten for a certain family are uplifting and very heart warming. While it is certainly a Christian faith based book, I do believe that this will not limit its appeal, which I found quite all-encompassing.

The stories are rather short, from a good page to half a dozen of them, so each of them could be read in a matter of mere minutes, which is often all the time we take for our spiritual needs nowadays. I firmly believe that sharing in the joy, wonder, tears and laughter of the people who lived those stories will help you cope, heal and understand. This is a book to read, a book to share and a book to keep, so you might well want to get more than one copy of “Miracles Among Us.”

Miracles Among Us: A Collection of True Miracle Stories
Nicole Sorkin
Cross Books (2010)
ISBN 9781615071357
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (09/10)

White House Interpreter: The Art of Interpretation

This is a very interesting journal of Harry Obst’s journey at being an interpreter for numerous Presidents in the White House. I doubt many people consider the role of these highly professional people and the impact that they play in meetings, speeches and dealing with foreign dignitaries. No two Presidents are alike in their personality and what they expect. Interpreters are expected to be ‘Johnny-on-the-spot’ and regardless of the circumstances, be able to do their job.  Five- months after starting his job, he was off and running, knowing that he would be scrutinized by everyone.

It only takes one mistake to twist meanings or intent of what another is saying. Sometimes interpreters are taken by surprise at what the President or other dignitaries are saying and scramble to make the meanings clear. Obst is honest in his evaluation of himself and will admit to mistakes he has made, as well as others around him. This is a job many of us do not know about.

The author discusses his on and off again battles with INS and not providing VISA’s due to the fact that they wanted individuals with degrees in Economics, which many did not have. You can hear the frustration in his voice as he discusses this process and lack of interest on the INS’ part.

Not to mention that even though security is there, you are to make sure the President is safe, whether it is a stumble or full fall. Everyone else is secondary. Sometimes it can be confusing to determine who plays what role.

“White House Interpreter” was a very informative, yet sometimes tedious book to read. However, the author did go into detail about the requirements to become an interpreter and how many colleges do not offer the classes or experience they need.

White House Interpreter: The Art of Interpretation
Harry Obst
AuthorHouse (2010)
ISBN 9781452006154
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (08/10)

What Every Mother Should Tell Their Daughters: A Book for Women

TheNita
Book Surge (2006)
ISBN 1419615947
Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (3/07)

The relationship between a mother and daughter is explored in this book about healthy emotional connections. It discusses giving the very best that life has to offer in the hopes of stopping generational illness that is passed from mother to daughter to granddaughter. The book is all about love; first how to love yourself, and then how to love your daughter while teaching her to love herself. Giving motherly love and wisdom can save a daughter from much heartache and pain that she would, otherwise, eventually learn the hard way and on her own.

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Making Friends in Italy: An Italian Phrasebook

Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (3/06)

Magnificamente! That is the way to describe this fantastic little phrasebook.

From the very first phrase I looked up (and it wasn’t food or directions), this book showed me its worth. They packed so many useful phrases into this little volume. I just had to keep looking through it to see what it didn’t have. Swear words, that’s what it lacked, but I try not to, so it didn’t matter.

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"Greek Grammar: You Can Learn Bible Greek"

by John Poly

Review by Irene Watson for Reader Views (12/05)

Before I took on the review of this book I could honestly say "it's Greek to me" and mean that I didn't understand a thing. I took the challenge of reviewing this book because I didn't know a thing about the Greek language.  Ply changed my understanding through his book "Greek Grammar."

Read complete review on Reader Views.