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Wild Words: How language engages with nature

A collection of international words that describe a natural phenomenon
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( 48 ratings, 11 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Wild Words: How language engages with nature explores 75 evocative words from around the world that capture moments and sensations in the natural world. Each word is accompanied by a 100-word description detailing its pronunciation, cultural context, and the emotional or mindful response it can inspire. Richly illustrated, the book brings to life concepts such as Mรฅngataโ€”the moon's light path on water in Swedenโ€”and Komorebiโ€”Japanese sunlight filtering through treesโ€”revealing how language deepens our connection to nature.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This beautifully crafted collection will appeal to lovers of language, nature enthusiasts, cultural explorers, and anyone seeking to enrich their appreciation of the natural world through words.

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Wild Words showcases 75 beautiful, international words evocative of the wild, from around the world, that describe a natural phenomenon โ€“ paired with illustrations and short description - to aid both your appreciation and your engagement with nature.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Wild Words: How Language Engages with Nature showcases 75 beautiful words evocative of the wild from all around the world. These words describe natural happenings in nature, including weather phenomena, feelings you experience in nature, and sensory words that explain the smell or sound of a place.

The words used to express what is seen in the world are vital to an appreciation of itโ€”language is a key component in the call of the wild. As words vanish from a language, it follows that what they describe may disappear. Words deepen the understanding of what is seen, and what is seen comes more vividly to life through the words used to describe it. As the natural world and the time spent in it diminish in the face of modern life, it's more vital than ever to recall it into being with the magic of language.

Each of the 75 words includes a 100-word description, its pronunciation, and a geographical, historical, or cultural background, as well as reflections on the emotional or mindful response the natural phenomenon can inspire. Each word is paired with an illustration.

Examples of words:

Mรฅngata. Sweden. Noun. The path of light that the moon makes on water.

Sugar weather. Canada. Noun. A period of warm days and cold nightsโ€”the perfect weather to start the sap flowing in maple trees.

Rudฤ—nja. Lithuania. The way nature begins to feel as autumn takes hold and the vestiges of summer disappear.

Komorebi. Japan. Noun. Beams of sunlight filtering down through the trees.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781911622710

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 21 October 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Portico

Illustration: 75 illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 135.0mm

Height: 185.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Kate Hodges has over 25 years writing experience on magazines. She writes part-time for The Green Parent magazine. Her first book, Little London, a guide to free and cheap, family-friendly things to do in the capital, was published in 2014. Her second, London in an Hourย came out in 2016, and Rural London, in 2017. She has also written the text for a map of the city, Welcome To The Dark Side: Occult London. Her fourth book, I Know A Woman, was published in 2018. In 2020 she published Warriors, Witches, Women and On A Starry Night.

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