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Sto caricando le informazioni... Don't Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth About Languagedi David Shariatmadari
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 Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro.  RachelRachelRachel | Nov 21, 2023 |    ) vpfluke | Feb 8, 2023 |  ) librarianarpita | Oct 14, 2022 | Guardian editor David Shariatmadari says that as his interest in language was sparked in childhood by listening to his Iranian farther speaking on the phone in Farsi to relatives in Tehran. He did not understand what was being said, but he could detect some of the language’s repeated phrases. That interest led him to study linguistics, the scientific study of language on its most general level. In Don’t Believe a Word he offers a refreshingly almost jargon-free introduction to the field. He debunks a number of commonly held beliefs about language, such as that some languages are innately superior to others, that the “true” meaning of a word is found in its etymology, and that there is a clear distinction between dialect and language. Along the way, he offers some interesting perspectives on why it is so difficult to program computers to pass the Turing test and, a bit more arcanely, on the evolution of Noam Chomsky’s ideas about language development and what features of human language are difficult for animals. I do wish he paid just a little attention to philology, the general study of written language. Don’t Believe a Word is as gentle an introduction to linguistics as you will ever find. ( ) Tom-e | Oct 18, 2020 |  ) annbury | May 23, 2020 |
 This is quite a scholarly and serious book. I admired its refusal to lighten its denser arguments with that jokey "here comes the science bit" flippancy that so often grates in non-fiction books on complex topics. Shariatmadari's style is never less than clear, but there isn't too much handholding. His account requires a little patience, but then so does linguistics. Stick with it and it is a meaty, rewarding and even necessary read. Shariatmadari begins by pointing to "an almost insatiable appetite for linguistic debate" in our culture. But as he then shows, most of the focus is trivial – "how to speak like a millennial" – or myth-ridden. Our wider culture seems profoundly uninterested in the dynamic, makeshift nature of language, the way that it gives birth to thought as much as articulates it. Politicians, caught out saying something that they actually believe, instantly apologise for their "poor choice of words". It is as if words were just a light dusting of salt on the meal of meaning, and not that important. But words, as Shariatmadari reveals, aren't a condiment you sprinkle on top of reality; they are the marinade that alters the taste of everything. Elenchi di rilievo
"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, readers 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 labelled 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"-- Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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There is so much fascinating information here! I would definitely recommend it to the budding hobby linguist. I can't imagine there's anything new here for professionals.
A couple drawbacks:
Two chapters were very boring, and added virtually nothing to the book: the one on animals, and the last chapter. It was so boring, I can't even remember what it was about.
The author refereneces evolutionary theory as fact a few times.
Shariatmadari also uses the F-word as an example for some point, when something else could have been easily used instead (and been much less offensive).
He misinterprets a word in the Bible in a big way. "Word" with a capital W is always used to reference Jesus, and he acted as if it meant a literal word.
Definitely worth reading, still; and now I'm very curious to find similar books that are even better. (