Don't Believe A Word: The Surprising Truth About Language
David Shariatmadari
Aug 2019 · Weidenfeld & Nicolson · Narrated by Damian Lynch
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9 hr
Unabridged
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***
'Wonderful. You finish the book more alive than ever to the enduring mystery and miracle of that thing that makes us most human' STEPHEN FRY
'Most popular books on language dumb down; Shariatmadari's smartens things up, and is all the more entertaining for it' THE SUNDAY TIMES, a Book of the Year
'A meaty, rewarding and necessary read' GUARDIAN
'Fascinating and thought-provoking . . . crammed with weird and wonderful facts . . . for anyone who delights in linguistics it's a richly rewarding read' MAIL ON SUNDAY
***
- A word's origin doesn't tell you what it means today
- There are languages that change when your mother-in-law is present
- The language you speak could make you more prone to accidents
- There's a special part of the brain that produces swear words
Taking us on a mind-boggling journey through the science of language, linguist David Shariatmadari uncovers the 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.
'Wonderful. You finish the book more alive than ever to the enduring mystery and miracle of that thing that makes us most human' STEPHEN FRY
'Most popular books on language dumb down; Shariatmadari's smartens things up, and is all the more entertaining for it' THE SUNDAY TIMES, a Book of the Year
'A meaty, rewarding and necessary read' GUARDIAN
'Fascinating and thought-provoking . . . crammed with weird and wonderful facts . . . for anyone who delights in linguistics it's a richly rewarding read' MAIL ON SUNDAY
***
- A word's origin doesn't tell you what it means today
- There are languages that change when your mother-in-law is present
- The language you speak could make you more prone to accidents
- There's a special part of the brain that produces swear words
Taking us on a mind-boggling journey through the science of language, linguist David Shariatmadari uncovers the 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.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
About the author
David Shariatmadari is a writer and editor at the Guardian. He read Linguistics at Cambridge University, and went on to study at the University of London, where he focused on neurolinguistics and sound change. He was awarded a Master's degree with distinction after completing his thesis in phonology. He lives in London.
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