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Don't believe a word : the surprising truth about language / David Shariatmadari.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York, N.Y. : W. W. Norton & Company, 2020Edition: First American editionDescription: 324 pages ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781324004257
  • 1324004258
Other title:
  • Do not believe a word
Subject(s):
Contents:
Language is going to the dogs -- A word's origin is its true meaning -- I control what comes out of my mouth -- We can't talk to the animals -- You can't translate this word -- Italian is a language -- What you say is what you mean -- Some languages are better than others -- Language is an instinct.
Summary: "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 this eye- opening tour, readers will understand that grammatical "errors" are in fact the foundation of modern English; that the meaning of a word is not what a dictionary says, but how it's used; and that the difference between what gets labeled a "language" or "dialect" is political, rather than scientific. Don't Believe a Word offers an accessible and thorough introduction to the science behind one of the most essential aspects of our daily life"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction 401 S531 Available 33111009422201
Adult Book Adult Book Northport Library NonFiction 401 S531 Available 33111008993160
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Think you know language? Think again.

There are languages that change when your mother-in-law is present. The language you speak could make you more prone to accidents. Swear words are produced in a special part of your brain.

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 despite these advances, much of what people believe about language is based on folklore, instinct, or hearsay. We imagine a word's origin is it's "true" meaning, that foreign languages are full of "untranslatable" words, or that grammatical mistakes undermine English.



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, Shariatmadari is an energetic guide to the beauty and quirkiness of humanity's greatest achievement.



"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 this eye- opening tour, readers will understand that grammatical "errors" are in fact the foundation of modern English; that the meaning of a word is not what a dictionary says, but how it's used; and that the difference between what gets labeled a "language" or "dialect" is political, rather than scientific. Don't Believe a Word offers an accessible and thorough introduction to the science behind one of the most essential aspects of our daily life"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 296-314) and index.

Language is going to the dogs -- A word's origin is its true meaning -- I control what comes out of my mouth -- We can't talk to the animals -- You can't translate this word -- Italian is a language -- What you say is what you mean -- Some languages are better than others -- Language is an instinct.

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