The Book Club Ben Schott: An Unexpectedly Essential Guide to Language
Oct 7, 2025
Ben Schott, author and designer known for his ingenious Schott's Miscellanies, chats about his latest work, Schott's Significa. He reveals the fascinating world of private languages, showcasing everything from gondoliers' communication to graffiti's unique lexicon. Schott discusses the value of shoe-leather reporting, contrasting it with AI insights, and shares anecdotes about shadowing professionals to capture nuances in language. The talk dives into topics like modern fandoms, evolving urban dialects, and the relationship between language and culture.
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How The Project Began
- Ben Schott discovered restaurant reservation codes after his wife wore an FO badge from a New York restaurateur.
- That curiosity led to his first New York Times piece and seeded the wider Significa project.
Language As A Door Into Worlds
- Schott uses private language as a key to explain the whole arc of a world rather than producing mere glossaries.
- Language unlocks structures, practices, and social relations within communities like gondoliers and cab drivers.
Gondoliers And Black Cabbies Parallels
- Schott contrasts gondoliers and London black cab drivers as similar proud, freelance small communities with family histories.
- He observed that these tiny worlds face tourists, city politics, and changing cultures but share striking parallels.
