The Power of Babel A Natural History of Language
McWhorter, John H.
The Power of Babel A Natural History of Language John H. McWhorter - U.S.A. Times Books 2001 - 327tr. hardcover, illustration 24 cm
There are approximately six thousand languages on Earth today, each a descendant of the tongue first spoken by Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago. How did they all develop? What happened to the first language? In this irreverent tour of territory too often claimed by stodgy grammarians, linguistics professor John McWhorter ranges across linguistic theory, geography, history, and pop culture to tell the fascinating story of how thousands of very different languages have evolved from a single, original source in a natural process similar to biological evolution... The first book written for the layperson about the natural history of language, The Power of Babel is a dazzling tour de force that will leave readers anything but speechless.
9780716744733
Language and culture
Non-Fiction Book
History
417.7
The Power of Babel A Natural History of Language John H. McWhorter - U.S.A. Times Books 2001 - 327tr. hardcover, illustration 24 cm
There are approximately six thousand languages on Earth today, each a descendant of the tongue first spoken by Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago. How did they all develop? What happened to the first language? In this irreverent tour of territory too often claimed by stodgy grammarians, linguistics professor John McWhorter ranges across linguistic theory, geography, history, and pop culture to tell the fascinating story of how thousands of very different languages have evolved from a single, original source in a natural process similar to biological evolution... The first book written for the layperson about the natural history of language, The Power of Babel is a dazzling tour de force that will leave readers anything but speechless.
9780716744733
Language and culture
Non-Fiction Book
History
417.7