The Unfolding of Language : An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention

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The Unfolding of Language : An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention / Guy Deutscher. - Wydanie 2. - New York : A Holt Paperback, 2006. - XIII, [2], 358 stron : ilustracje, mapa ; 24 cm.

Author

Deutscher, Guy (1969- ). Autor

Form of Work

Książki Literatura faktu, eseje, publicystyka

Demographic Group

Literatura amerykańska

Subject

Język angielski Językoznawstwo Pochodzenie języka Zmiany językowe

Genre/Form

Publicystyka

Domain

Językoznawstwo

Language is mankind's greatest invention-except, of course, that it was never invented." So begins linguist Guy Deutscher's enthralling investigation into the genesis and evolution of language. If we started off with rudimentary utterances on the level of "man throw spear," how did we end up with sophisticated grammars, enormous vocabularies, and intricately nuanced degrees of meaning? Drawing on recent groundbreaking discoveries in modern linguistics, Deutscher exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication, giving us fresh insight into how language emerges, evolves, and decays. He traces the evolution of linguistic complexity from an early "Me Tarzan" stage to such elaborate single-word constructions as the Turkish sehirlilestiremediklerimizdensiniz ("you are one of those whom we couldn't turn into a town dweller"). Arguing that destruction and creation in language are intimately entwined, Deutscher shows how these processes are continuously in operation, generating new words, new structures, and new meanings.

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Availability:

Dembowskiego 12 (W131)

There are copies available to loan: sygn. 81 (1 egz.)

Notes:

General note

Index na stronach 350-358.

Bibliography, etc. note

Bibliography na stronach 329-340.