Tag: Language

Europe, Italiano, New Cultures

Perché il bambino cuoce nella polenta

Author: Aglaja Veteranyi

Language: Italiano

Summary: La piccola protagonista di questo magico romanzo è figlia di artisti circensi, la sua vera casa sono il tendone di un circo e le tante roulotte che cambiano di paese in paese. Suo padre è clown, acrobata e bandito, ma avrebbe voluto essere una star del cinema mentre sua madre, ogni notte, rimane appesa per i capelli sopra il pubblico e cammina nell’aria. È allora che lei ha paura e teme che alla madre possa accadere qualcosa di brutto. Continue reading “Perché il bambino cuoce nella polenta”

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English, How-to Guides

Through the language glass: why the world looks different in other languages

 

Author: Guy Deutscher

Language: English

Summary: The debate is ages old: Where does language come from? Is it an artifact of our culture or written in our very DNA? In recent years, the leading linguists have seemingly settled the issue: all languages are fundamentally the same and the particular language we speak does not shape our thinking in any significant way. Guy Deutscher says they’re wrong. From Homer to Darwin, from Yale to the Amazon, and through a strange and dazzling history of the color blue, Deutscher argues that our mother tongues do indeed shape our experiences of the world. Audacious, delightful, and provocative, Through the Language Glass is destined to become a classic of intellectual discovery. Source: amazon.com

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Book Cover
English, North America, Stories and Experiences

The genius of language: Fifteen writers reflect on their mother tongue

Author: Wendy Lesser Language: English Summary: Fifteen outstanding writers answered editor Wendy Lesser’s call for original essays on the subject of language–the one they grew up with, and the English in which they write.Despite American assumptions about polite Chinese discourse, Amy Tan believes that there was nothing discreet about the Chinese language with which she grew up. Leonard Michaels spoke only Yiddish until he was … Continue reading The genius of language: Fifteen writers reflect on their mother tongue

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Africa, Asia, English, Europe, New Cultures, North America, Oceania, South America

Global Mother Tongue : The Eight Flavours of English

Author: Howard Richler

Language: English

Summary: Celebrating a language that is spoken by 1.6 billion people, this entertaining analysis explores the international growth of English and gives an in-depth examination of its history.

Explaining the differences and similarities between the eight English-languages—African, American, Australian/New Zealand, British, Canadian, Caribbean, East Asian, and South Asian—this survey reflects on both dialect and usage.

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mother tongue
English, Stories and Experiences

Mother Tongue: My Family’s Globe-Trotting Quest to Dream in Mandarin, Laugh in Arabic, and Sing in Spanish

Author: Christine Gilbert

Language: English

Summary: One woman’s quest to learn Mandarin in Beijing, Arabic in Beirut, and Spanish in Mexico, with her young family along for the ride. 

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English, New Cultures

The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way

Author: Bill Bryson

Language: English

Summary: With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson—the acclaimed author of The Lost Continent—brilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language.

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