Don't Believe a Word - The Surprising Truth About Language

David Shariatmadari

W. W. Norton & Company

2020

336 páginas

11h 12m

ISBN-13: 9781324004257

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.

Resenhas (1)

5 (Perfeito)

Incrivelmente interessante

Um prato delicioso pra quem se interessa por linguística. Explica vário tipos temas simples, usando varias línguas como exemplo. A maioria dos temas abordados também aparecem no Crash Course de linguística, no youtube.

No fim, reforçou o que eu descobri faz um tempinho, durante uma viagem: linguagem, no seu núcleo, é sobre comunicação com e para seres humanos.