Language in Danger by Andrew Dalby
Every two weeks a language dies. Of the estimated 5000 languages spoken worldwide, from Cherokee to Cornish, only half are likely to survive to the end of this century. What does this mean for the human race? Will we eventually become a one-language planet? And does it even matter? This study shows why language loss affects us all. It explores how languages become extinct: through political power, in the case of Latin engulfing the Ancient Mediterranean; through brute force, such as that used against the Native Americans and Australians; and through economics - as the phenomenal rise of English as the language of business and mass communications shows. Andrew Dalby also explains how this linguistic globalization means a loss not just of cultural identity and diversity, but also of the unique world-view and acquired local knowledge enshrined in the way we speak. The consequences, Dalby argues, will be devastating - not just for language, but for the future of humankind itself.
Andrew Dalby is Honorary Librarian at the Institute of Linguists and author of Dictionary Of Languages (Bloomsbury 1998). He also writes on food. He lives in France.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780140290646 |
| ISBN 10 | 0140290648 |
| Title | Language in Danger |
| Author | Andrew Dalby |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2003-03-27 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |