Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words

A beautiful and intimate exploration of first and last words—and the many facets of how language begins and ends—from a pioneering language writer.

With our earliest utterances, we announce ourselves—and are recognized—as persons ready for social life. With our final ones, we mark where others must release us to death’s embrace. In Bye Bye I Love You, linguist and author Michael Erard explores these phenomena, commonly called “first words” and “last words,” uncovering their cultural, histori...