SKU: 97991821041

Don't Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth about Language

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Don't Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth about LanguageThink 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,

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.



Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 01/07/2020
ISBN: 9781324004257
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.10d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 10/14/2019
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2019
Booklist 12/15/2019 pg. 85
Shelf Awareness 01/31/2020
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SKU: 97991821041

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Rick Orta
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Love this book!
Format: Paperback
I start singing the song in my head just seeing the cover! Very sweet lyrics to a sweet tune. I tidbit about the animal on each page. Kids learn the names of the artic animals and a little fact about them. I love, love, love this book!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2022
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L. Briggs
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
A fun book with lots of education about the Aric and ...
A fun book with lots of education about the Aric and the animals that live there plus beautiful artwork. Spans a wide age range for interest, can grow with your child.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016
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M. Flinn
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
The rhyming verse and 1-10 counting are perfect for the age I teach
Over in the Arctic by Marianne Berkes is a delightful addition to my collection of polar books. The rhyming verse and 1-10 counting are perfect for the age I teach. The soft illustrations by Jill Dubin are inviting and soothing.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2015
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Trudy M.
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 4
Four Stars
Several layers of information...layout was a little confusing.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2018
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Mary Williams
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Great Book
Great illustrations. Good exposure to different Arctic animals.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2019

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