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  Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World (Paperback) By (author) Nicholas Ostler

  

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  Short Description for Empires of the WordNoted linguist Nicholas Ostler brings together the tales of the world's languages in all their glorious variety in this unusual and authoritative "natural history of languages," offering a unique perspective on civilization through the ages. Maps. Charts.
  Full description

  • Publisher: HARPER PERENNIAL
  • Published: 01 July 2006
  • Format: Paperback 615 pages
  • See: Full bibliographic data
  • Categories: Linguistics | Writing Systems, Alphabets | General & World History | Social & Cultural History
  • ISBN 13: 9780060935726 ISBN 10: 0060935723
  • Sales rank: 54,223

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Full description for Empires of the Word

• Nicholas Ostler's "Empires of the Word" is the first history of the world's great tongues, gloriously celebrating the wonder of words that binds communities together and makes possible both the living of a common history and the telling of it. From the uncanny resilience of Chinese through twenty centuries of invasions to the engaging self-regard of Greek and to the struggles that gave birth to the languages of modern Europe, these epic achievements and more are brilliantly explored, as are the fascinating failures of once "universal" languages. A splendid, authoritative, and remarkable work, it demonstrates how the language history of the world eloquently reveals the real character of our planet's diverse peoples and prepares us for a linguistic future full of surprises.