5 stars ("The Tongue is a Sword" ) - This is a history of the rise and fall of languages from the time of the Sumerians to the present day. The author is fascinated with why some languages became more important and widely-spoken than others and the relationship of language to empire. He asserts quickly that history offers no pattern or pat solution to this question. Among the language histories that Ostler examines are the very-wide ranging Afro-Asiatic group, which encompasses Arabic, Aramaic, and Coptic among others, Turkish, Persian, Chinese, Sanskrit, Greek, and the major European languages. He focuses mostly on the literate Old World languages, although he has a chapter on Quechua and Nahuatl, the languages of the Incas and Aztecs respectively. As could be expected in a wide-ranging book, I found some chapters to be more interesting and informative than others. Scattered amongst the chapters are plenty of good maps and a large number of quotations and reproductions of inscriptions from a large number of languages. This is a well-produced book. I'll give this book the highest rating, but I must comment that I was a bit disappointed with the cautious conclusions of the author. One of his more interesting statements was that Arabic, an Afro-Asiatic language, became established only in "territories that had previously spoken an Afro-Asiatic language" That suggests that the conquest of one language over another may have something to do with the similarity in structure of the language -- or, in other words, English is not likely to supplant Chinese or the reverse. This point is not really developed to its fullest extent. Also, the section of the book I most look forward to was "What makes a language learnable?" but it is very brief. I would liked to have seen a lot more discussion of his point that "the essence of a language, its structure, can play a role in its viability." That's a dangerous and intriguing statement in that it implies that some lan... HarperCollins :: History & World :: World - General :: Social History :: Linguistics :: Language and languages :: Language :: History- World :: History - General History :: History :: H :: Empires of the Word - A Language History of the World
5 stars (Sweet, Sweet linguisitcs) - I find it odd that some people didn't like this book, for I thought the action thereof was exceedingly sweet. I guess different strokes for different folks. Anyway I took an Introductory linguistics course that used this textbook, and found myself enjoying the reading assignments. I even read chapters I wasn't assigned to and ended up reading the whole thing. The book was easy to follow, entertaining, and really taught me a lot about linguistics. 4 stars (Horses for courses) - If you're looking for a college-level textbook - look elsewhere! As the 1-star reviews make clear, this is not aimed at you, despite the upmarket cover... On the other hand, if you're looking for a 'Linguistics for Dummies' book without the gaudy yellow-and-black cover to give you away, this book should do the trick nicely :) It's a pleasant stroll through the main areas of linguistics, livened up with cartoons - just enough to give you a taste of the subject without bogging you down in erudition. I don't know enough about linguistics to comment on the criticisms of some readers (though rejecting an entire field of study on the basis of one book seems a little...childish to me!), but any book that can turn a dry academic subject into an entertaining read gets my vote. 5 stars (It's an Introduction book) - As an introduction book this book is perfect; it's written in short chapters(will not make you feel bored) and it has exercises(helps you with understanding) in it. To those who are interested in Linguistics and do not have any prior knowledge this book is The One. ... Heinle :: Language Arts & Disciplines & Linguistics :: Linguistics :: Language and languages :: Language Arts & Linguistics & Literacy :: Language Arts & Disciplines :: L :: An Introduction to Language
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