{"product_id":"9781101572818","title":"What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author and renowned linguist, John McWhorter, explores the complicated and fascinating world of languages. From Standard English to Black English; obscure tongues only spoken by a few thousand people in the world to the big ones like Mandarin - \u003ci\u003eWhat Language Is\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates the history and curiosities of languages around the world and smashes our assumptions about \"correct\" grammar. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e An eye-opening tour for all language lovers, \u003ci\u003eWhat Language Is\u003c\/i\u003e offers a fascinating new perspective on the way humans communicate. From vanishing languages spoken by a few hundred people to major tongues like Chinese, with copious revelations about the hodgepodge nature of English, John McWhorter shows readers how to see and hear languages as a linguist does. Packed with Big Ideas about language alongside wonderful trivia, \u003ci\u003eWhat Language Is\u003c\/i\u003e explains how languages across the globe (the Queen's English and Surinam creoles alike) originate, evolve, multiply, and divide. Raising provocative questions about what qualifies as a language (so-called slang does have structured grammar), McWhorter also takes readers on a marvelous journey through time and place-from Persian to the languages of Sri Lanka- to deliver a feast of facts about the wonders of human linguistic expression.","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47133282861296,"sku":"9781101572818","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781101572818_p0.jpg?v=1763758864","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781101572818","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}