Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
Audiobook9 hours
Don't Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth About Language
Written by David Shariatmadari
Narrated by Damian Lynch
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
An entertaining and highly informed guide to what languages are and how they function.
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, listeners 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.
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, listeners 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.
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Reviews for Don't Believe a Word
Rating: 4.333333333333333 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I am a huge Steven Pinker fan, so giving this five stars is tough for me. However, it is very well written in particular he ending. It is important to ask ourselves whether or not language is, in fact, an instinct.