A revelatory and exhilarating tour de force, Nicholas Ostler's The Last Lingua Franca: The Rise and Fall of World Languages explores the rise of a linguistic diversity we could never before have imagined.
In the twenty-first century, can we really take the dominance of English for granted?
In their time, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian have each been world languages, sweeping the globe for centuries at a time. And yet they have all been displaced, just as Nicholas Ostler predicts English will be. What forces drive these linguistic currents? What characteristics do lingua francas share? And most importantly, how do they lose their power?
'Frequently jaw-dropping and never less than convincing'
Henry Hitchings, Financial Times
'Sweepingly learned and engagingly garrulous'
Sunday Times
'A much-needed challenge to conventional wisdom'
Guardian
A linguist of astonishing voracity ... the predictions are striking'
Economist
Nicholas Ostler is the author of Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World and Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin. He studied Greek, Latin and Philosophy at the University of Oxford and holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from MIT. With a working knowledge of twenty-six languages, Nicholas now runs an institute for the protection of endangered languages.
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Descrizione libro Paperback. Condizione: new. Paperback. 'SWEEPINGLY LEARNED AND ENGAGINGLY GARRULOUS . . .Sunday Times'A MUCH-NEEDED CHALLENGE TO CONVENTIONAL WISDOM'GuardianIN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, CAN WE REALLY TAKE THE DOMINANCE OF ENGLISH FOR GRANTED?In their time, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian have each been world languages, sweeping the globe for centuries at a time. And yet they have all been displaced, just as Nicholas Ostler predicts English will be. What forces drive these linguistic currents? What characteristics do lingua francas share? And most importantly, how do they lose their power?In this revelatory and exhilarating tour de force, Ostler explores the rise of a linguistic diversity that we could never before have imagined.'A linguist of astonishing voracity . . . the predictions are striking'ECONOMIST'The Last Lingua Franca beautifully ties together a diverse and ambitious range of themes, which will offer something new to all readers. Its strength lies in the wealth and mixture of historical fact and linguistic insight'Times Literary Supplement'Formidable . . . there is scarcely a page of this book that does not contain some remarkable gobbet of information'Financial Times In the twenty-first century, can we really take the dominance of English for granted? In their time, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian have each been world languages, sweeping the globe for centuries at a time. This title explores the rise of a linguistic diversity we could never before have imagined. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Codice articolo 9781846142161
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Descrizione libro Paperback / softback. Condizione: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. In the twenty-first century, can we really take the dominance of English for granted? In their time, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian have each been world languages, sweeping the globe for centuries at a time. This title explores the rise of a linguistic diversity we could never before have imagined. Codice articolo B9781846142161
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Descrizione libro Condizione: New. 2011. Paperback. In the twenty-first century, can we really take the dominance of English for granted? In their time, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian have each been world languages, sweeping the globe for centuries at a time. This title explores the rise of a linguistic diversity we could never before have imagined. Num Pages: 352 pages. BIC Classification: CBX. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 196 x 130 x 22. Weight in Grams: 260. . . . . . Codice articolo V9781846142161