Guy Deutscher

La faible croissance économique est aujourd’hui une préoccupation majeure dans les pays développés. Certains ont même exprimé la crainte que ce ralentissement ne soit le prélude à un effondrement. Ce

Language is mankinds greatest invention except of course, that it was never invented. So begins Guy Deutschers fascinating investigation into the evolution of language. No one believes that the Roman Senate sat down one day to design the complex system that is Latin grammar, and few believe, these days, in the literal truth of the story of the Tower of Babel. But then how did there come to be so many languages, and of such elaborate design? 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 shades of meaning? Drawing on recent, groundbreaking discoveries in modern linguistics, Deutscher exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication. Along the way, we learn why German maidens are neuter while German turnips are female, why we have feet not foots, and how great changes in pronunciation may result from simple laziness...

"Guy Deutscher is that rare beast, an academic who talks good sense about linguistics... he argues in a playful and provocative way, that our mother tongue does indeed affect how we think and, just as important, how we perceive the world." Observer*Does language reflect the culture of a society?*Is our mother-tongue a lens through which we perceive the world?*Can different languages lead their speakers to different thoughts?In Through the Language Glass, acclaimed author Guy Deutscher will convince you that, contrary to the fashionable academic consensus of today, the answer to all these questions is - yes. A delightful amalgam of cultural history and popular science, this book explores some of the most fascinating and controversial questions about language, culture and the human mind.

A persuasive and beautifullywritten take on how languages are constantly evolving... an enthralling read about human psychology and anthropology as well as linguistics.ALEX BELLOS___________________________________Language is mankinds greatest invention - except of course, that it was never invented. So begins Guy Deutschers fascinating investigation into the evolution of language. No one believes that the Roman Senate sat down one day to design the complex system that is Latin grammar, and few believe, these days, in the literal truth of the story of the Tower of Babel. But then how did there come to be so many languages, and of such elaborate design? 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 shades of meaning?Drawing on recent, groundbreaking discoveries in modern linguistics, Deutscher exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication. Along the way, we learn why German maidens are neuter while German turnips are female, why we have feet not foots, and how great changes in pronunciation may result from simple laziness..._____________________Powerful and thrillingSPECTATORReally ought to be read by anyone who persists in complaining that the English language is going to the dogsSUNDAY TELEGRAPHI was enthralled A.S. Byatt, for GUARDIAN Books of the YearHighly original... clever and convincing... this book will stretch your mindINDEPENDENT ON SUNDAYFascinatingBOSTON GLOBE

«Hay cuatro lenguas en el mundo que merece la pena utilizar» -dice el Talmud-, «el griego para cantar, el latín para guerrear, el siríaco para honrar a los muertos y el hebreo, para hablar.» Esta cita da inicio a un recorrido histórico, científico e intelectual en torno a una pregunta fascinante. ¿Es verdad que el mundo es diferente según la lengua que hablamos? ¿Influye nuestra lengua en la manera en que pensamos y nos comportamos? Guy Deutscher, uno de los lingüistas más prestigiosos del mundo, pone en duda la afirmación de que el lenguaje es completamente fruto de la naturaleza. Para revisar los terrenos inexplorados de esta teoría, el autor propone una odisea que nos lleva desde Homero a Darwin, desde científicos a seres primitivos, desde los pasillos de Yale a las riberas del Amazonas, desde cómo nombrar el arco iris a por qué la palabra agua en ruso -que es femenina- se vuelve masculina cuando se le añade una bolsita de té… Una exploración, en definitiva, de algunas de las cuestiones más fascinantes y controvertidas de la lengua, la cultura y la mente humanas.

De las muchas creaciones de la humanidad, el lenguaje ha de considerarse la más excelsa. Otras invenciones —la rueda, la agricultura, el pan de molde en rebanadas— puede que hayan transformado nuestr