The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language â A Witty Linguistics Guide to How Tongues Mix, Mutate, and Evolve

McWhorter, John

ISBN 10: 006052085X / ISBN 13: 9780060520854

Published by Harper Perennial, 2003

About this Item

Book shows noticeable wear from use. May include writing, highlighting, or other markings, but not excessive. Cover or edges may have visible wear. The book remains complete and fully readable.

Seller Inventory # CTXV.006052085X.A

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language â A Witty Linguistics Guide to How Tongues Mix, Mutate, and Evolve
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 006052085X
• ISBN 13: 9780060520854
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: acceptable

About this title

Synopsis

“An essay in origins … as theoretical as Hawking and Gorst in trying to see into the deep past. McWhorter is a clear and witty writer.”— Harper’s

In the first book written for the layperson about the natural history of language, linguistic 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.

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. While laying out how languages mix and mutate over time, linguistics professor John McWhorter reminds us of the variety within the species that speaks them, and argues that, contrary to popular perception, language is not immutable and hidebound, but a living, dynamic entity that adapts itself to an ever-changing human environment. Full of humor and imaginative insight, The Power of Babel draws its illustrative examples from languages around the world, including pidgins, Creoles, and nonstandard dialects.

About the Author

John McWhorter teaches linguistics, American Studies and music history at Columbia University. He writes for the New York Times and the Atlantic, hosts the language podcast Lexicon Valley, and has written over 20 books including Nine Nasty Words, Woke Racism, The Power of Babel, and The Language Hoax. He lives in New York City.