Pilgrim in the Palace of Words

Glenn Dixon has been attacked by wild dogs in the mountains of Spain. Hes heard jaguars roar in the jungles of Guatemala. And once, in the calm blue waters above a coral reef off Belize, a shark veered dangerously toward him.
Humans, of course, are even more dangerous. We tend to section off our lands with borders and guns and barbed wire. But these are only surface markers. In reality we claim our territory with a much more powerful and ancient tool. We mark our place in the world, and even ourselves, with language.
As one philosopher said, languages are the Houses of Being. After doing graduate work in linguistics, Dixon wanted to visit these houses or palaces himself. He wanted to strut up their sidewalks. He wanted to knock on their doors and peek in their windows. He wanted to see what they were hiding in their basements even if it meant a little bit of trouble. A whole lot of trouble.

Glenn Dixon has published travel articles in major publications such as National Geographic, the New York Post, The Walrus, the Globe and Mail, and Psychology Today. An expert on language with an M.A. in socio-linguistics, he is currently a language consultant with the Calgary Board of Education. He lives in Calgary.

"Pilgrim in the Palace of Words works as classic travel literature. As a bonus, it's also a fascinating take on how languages mould and inform societies." -- Winnipeg Free Press Jan 2010 "Pilgrim in the Palace of Words is certainly defined more by Dixon's first-person experiences, chance encounters and dialogue with strangers than academic theories" Calgary Herald Jan 2010 "Pilgrim in the Palace of Words is immensely appealing to anyone with a yearning to travel, an interest in the world's diverse cultures and a love of words. And there is enough adventure to satisfy even the most critical of armchair travelers." Chronicle-Herald March 2010 "Pilgrim in the Palace of Words is a book that makes linguistics an enjoyable read by tying the author's own experiences together. From a nightmare at airport security to walking through ancient footsteps of civilizations long gone but not forgotten." - GAP Adventure Travel Blog April 2010