What Language Is - And What It Isn't and What It Could Be (Paperback)

A love letter to languages, celebrating their curiosities and smashing assumptions about correct grammar
An eye-opening tour for all language lovers, "What Language Is "offers a fascinating new perspective on the way humans communicate. from vanishing languages spoken by a few hundred people to major tongues like Chinese, and with copious revelations about the hodgepodge nature of English, John McWhorter shows readers how to see and hear languages as a linguist does.

Packed with big ideas about language alongside wonderful trivia, "What Language Is "explains how languages across the globe (the Queen's English and Suriname creoles alike) originate, evolve, multiply, and divide. Raising provocative questions about what qualifies as a language (so-called slang does have structured grammar), McWhorter takes readers on a marvelous journey through time and place--from Persia to the languages of Sri Lanka--to deliver a feast of facts about the wonders of human linguistic expression.

General

Imprint:	Gotham Books
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	August 2012
First published:	August 2012
Authors:	John McWhorter
Dimensions:	203 x 134 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	228
ISBN-13:	978-1-59240-720-0
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Language & linguistics > Semantics (meaning) > Pragmatics
LSN:	1-59240-720-X
Barcode:	9781592407200

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!