Everyone likes to think they know a bit about language:
There's a term in Portuguese you simply can't translate
The origin of a word tells you how it should be used
Standards of grammar have taken a nosedive recently
The real meaning of 'disinterested' is 'unbiased'
Computers will soon be able to speak like human beings
A dialect is inferior to a language
The problem is, none of these statements is true.
Over the past few decades, we have reached new frontiers of linguistic knowledge. Linguists can now explain how and why language changes, describe its structures, and map its activity in the brain. But most of us know as much about language today as we did about physics before Galileo, and the little we know is still largely based on folklore, instinct or hearsay.
In DON'T BELIEVE A WORD linguist David Shariatmadari takes us on a mind-boggling journey through the science of language, urging us to abandon our prejudices in a bid to uncover the (far more interesting) truth about what we do with words. Exploding nine widely-held myths about language while introducing us to some of the fundamental insights of modern linguistics, David Shariatmadari is an energetic guide to the beauty and quirkiness of humanity's greatest achievement.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 8.99
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9781474608435-GDR
Book Description Condition: New. In English. Seller Inventory # ria9781474608435_new
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Brand New. 336 pages. 8.58x5.51x1.26 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __1474608434
Book Description Hardback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Seller Inventory # B9781474608435
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 30886075-n
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Starting with the idea that language is going to the dogs, the linguist David Shariatmadari explores nine common claims, in each case delving deep into the topic and cutting through ?the fallacies and folklore that cloud our understanding?. Among the other concepts challenged are the idea that a word?s origin is its true meaning, the theory that language is an instinct, and the ?untranslatable word?. Seller Inventory # 517044
Book Description Condition: New. 2019. Hardcover. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9781474608435
Book Description Buch. Condition: Neu. Neuware - Nine common myths surrounding language as a phenomenon are skewered in this book combining the wit and lightness of 'Eats, Shoots & Leaves' with the wisdom and insight of 'The Language Insight'. Seller Inventory # 9781474608435
Book Description Condition: New. 2019. Hardcover. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9781474608435
Book Description Condition: New. Über den AutorrnrnDavid Shariatmadari is a writer and editor at the Guardian. He studied Linguistics at Cambridge University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, where he now lives.Klappentextrn. Seller Inventory # 650833709