"Everyone likes to think they know a bit about language: There are some words that you simply can't translate into English. The origin of a word tells you how it should be used. A dialect is inferior to a language. The problem is, none of these statements are true. In Don't Believe a Word, linguist David Shariatmadari explodes nine common myths about language and introduces us to some of the fundamental insights of modern linguistics. By the end of...

Look into the lives of children all over the world with this book that celebrates one of humanity's greatest achievements: written and verbal language. Including fully illustrated word charts, featuring children depicted in their home country, doing ordinary things, this book features more than 100 languages, from well-known and lesser known indigenous languages that introduce us to some of the world's most remote communities. With foreword by ethnobotanist...

"Discover fascinating facts about communication in all its forms, from around the world and over time Engaging factual writing introduces young readers to the most interesting aspects of languages, how they evolve and change over time. Humans’ use of language is one of our distinguishing features. Language allows us to communicate what we think, what we want, what we feel, and what we have learned. Some 100,000 years ago, humans began speaking....

Is vocabulary destiny? Why do clocks 'talk' to the Nahua people of Mexico? Will A.I. researchers ever produce true human-machine dialogue? In this mesmerizing collection of essays, Daniel Tammet answers these and many other questions about the intricacy and profound power of language. Tammet goes back in time to explore the numeric language of his autistic childhood; he looks at the music and patterns that words make, and how languages evolve and...

A new blueprint for fast language learning. Lewis argues that you don't need a great memory or "the language gene" to learn a language quickly, and debunks a number of long-held beliefs, such as adults not being as good of language learners as children. --

"This illustrated riddle introduces children to language's impact on human culture and history"--

Rhyming text and appealing illustrations highlight children from various places around the world engaging in many of the same activities as they get ready for bed. Young readers will learn how to say good night in eleven different languages including Mandarin, Russian, Italian, Finnish, Swahili, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, German, French, and Korean.

"Welcome to the not-too-distant future: Japan, having vanished from the face of the earth, is now remembered as "the land of sushi." Hiruko, its former citizen and a climate refugee herself, has a job teaching immigrant children in Denmark with her invented language Panska (Pan-Scandinavian): "homemade language. no country to stay in. three countries I experienced. insufficient space in brain. so made new language. homemade language." As she searches...