Description
Book SynopsisA linguist’s entertaining and highly informed guide to what languages are and how they function.
Trade Review"David Shariatmadari…makes us look afresh at the language we speak and how it structures our intimacies, our thoughts, and our identities. Wry and immensely intelligent,
Don’t Believe a Word awakens us to complexities of communication that we too readily ignore, and it does so with both deep scholarship and a light touch." -- Andrew Solomon, author of Far From the Tree
"Come for the myth-busting, stay for the lighthearted introduction to linguistics. David Shariatmadari ably demonstrates that there are plenty of fascinating things to learn about language without indulging in sensationalist headlines." -- Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet
"Wonderful. David Shariatmadari wears his deep learning with such an admirable and alluring lightness of touch. You finish
Don’t Believe a Word more alive than ever to the enduring mystery and miracle of that thing that makes us most human, the gift of language." -- Stephen Fry
"Delves into the riddles of language [for] a brisk and friendly introduction to linguistics, and a synthesis of the field's recent discovers. ...[I]mpressive." -- Parul Sehgal - New York Times
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Don’t Believe A Word is too wise, and too personal, to be regarded as just another book on language: it entertains just as much as it informs." -- Alexander Larman - Observer
"[A] meaty, rewarding and even necessary read." -- Joe Moran - Guardian
"[A] challenging…agile and lively introduction to language." -- Kirkus Reviews
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Don't Believe a Word is a serious piece of research, cogently and carefully presented…[A] richly rewarding read." -- The Mail on Sunday
"An illuminating and thought-provoking journey through language." -- Dean Burnett, best-selling author of The Idiot Brain and The Happy Brain
