With a brisk, witty style that reveals a comprehensive knowledge of music and popular culture, McWhorter rarely lets his tour wander int toe tangled wood of academic jargon and arcane illustration. An entertaining, instructive Henry Higgins of a volume; it’ll transform readers into enraptured Eliza Doolittles.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Startling, provocative and remarkably entertaining. McWhorter’s prose crackles, his pop-culture references pop. His enthusiasm for his topic is infectious….McWhorter displays impressive literary footwork.” — San Diego Union-Tribune
“John McWhorter’s The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language is an essay in origins, and is as theoretical Hawking and Gorst in trying to see into the deep past. McWhorter is a clear and witty writer.” — Harper's Magazine
“McWhorter explains clearly how and why sounds change, how word meanings change…how grammar changes and how they all bifurcate, mix, multiply, grow branches, get elaborated, are dissolved and reconstituted. McWhorter writes lucidly; it’s evident that he’s a teacher.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“With his passionate eloquence, [McWhorter] makes readers glimpse the wonder of languages…Particularly fascinating.” — New York Newsday
“McWhorter’s scholarship lays enough groundwork to keep future linguists busy for centuries. For the laty reader, that scholarship will make traveling…all the more wondrous.” — BookPage.com
“McWhorter offers a sweeping survey of people’s movements around the globe and the evolution of languages. Entertaining…and…accessible.” — Science News (Washington, D.C)
“McWhorter has done an admirable job of bridging the gap between the linguists’ view of language and the public’s. A worthy contribution to our understanding of the defining feature of human life.” — Booklist
“McWhorter’s arguments are sharply reasoned, refreshingly honest, and thoroughly original, and befitting a book on language, they are lucidly and elegantly expressed.” — Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct
Startling, provocative and remarkably entertaining. McWhorter’s prose crackles, his pop-culture references pop. His enthusiasm for his topic is infectious….McWhorter displays impressive literary footwork.
McWhorter has done an admirable job of bridging the gap between the linguists’ view of language and the public’s. A worthy contribution to our understanding of the defining feature of human life.
McWhorter offers a sweeping survey of people’s movements around the globe and the evolution of languages. Entertaining…and…accessible.
John McWhorter’s The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language is an essay in origins, and is as theoretical Hawking and Gorst in trying to see into the deep past. McWhorter is a clear and witty writer.
McWhorter’s arguments are sharply reasoned, refreshingly honest, and thoroughly original, and befitting a book on language, they are lucidly and elegantly expressed.
With his passionate eloquence, [McWhorter] makes readers glimpse the wonder of languages…Particularly fascinating.
McWhorter’s scholarship lays enough groundwork to keep future linguists busy for centuries. For the laty reader, that scholarship will make traveling…all the more wondrous.
McWhorter explains clearly how and why sounds change, how word meanings change…how grammar changes and how they all bifurcate, mix, multiply, grow branches, get elaborated, are dissolved and reconstituted. McWhorter writes lucidly; it’s evident that he’s a teacher.
John McWhorter’s The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language is an essay in origins, and is as theoretical Hawking and Gorst in trying to see into the deep past. McWhorter is a clear and witty writer.
McWhorter has done an admirable job of bridging the gap between the linguists’ view of language and the public’s. A worthy contribution to our understanding of the defining feature of human life.
McWhorter explains clearly how and why sounds change, how word meanings change…how grammar changes and how they all bifurcate, mix, multiply, grow branches, get elaborated, are dissolved and reconstituted. McWhorter writes lucidly; it’s evident that he’s a teacher.
