Marek Kohn— Amnesia inclines us to assume that entry into language is painless, as does the apparent ease with which children typically become speakers. But many if not most skills require struggle to acquire, even if they seem effortless once mastered. We take language to be one of the most
A look at how we acquire language and the importance of learning more than one language at any age. Subscribe:Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | Soundcloud
In a world that has global English and translation technology, it’s easy to assume that the need to use more than one language is diminishing— but it is more important than ever, argues science writer Marek Kohn. His new book exploring bilingualism and plural language use is Four Words For Friend: Why
When three heads are put together, the results can be shockingly revelatory. Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro have now compiled The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs, the first proverb dictionary to be based on electronic research from full-text databases. With more than 1,400 entries, this exhaustive collection
“Language is different from every other subject you’ll ever study, because language is a part of everything you’ll ever study,” David Crystal writes in A Little Book of Language, now available in paperback. Written to appeal to readers in their early teens and late 50s alike, Crystal’s book is a
Yesterday proved to be a big day for David Crystal’s popular new work, A Little Book of Language. Crystal spent the afternoon speaking with radio journalist Neal Conan on NPR’s Talk of the Nation. Fielding questions from Conan and listeners alike, Crystal discussed at length how languages develop, how they
Today’s Washington Post included a strong review by Michael Dirda of David Crystal’s A Little Book of Language: “Like Gombrich’s A Little History of the World, Crystal’s A Little Book of Language may be for children (of all ages, as the saying goes), yet it’s by no means childish or juvenile. In other words,
The February issue of Library Journal features a slew of reviews for Yale Press books. Here’s an idea of what they’re saying. On Eloquence by Denis Donoghue struck Library Journal as “a well-written and engaging exploration of eloquence in literature.” They recommended this book as “an enlightening read.” In this