SKU: 10479275759

Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages

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Description

Babel: Around the World in Twenty LanguagesEnglish is the world language, except that most of the world doesn't speak it only one in five people does. Dorren calculates that to speak fluently with half of the world's 7. 4 billion people in their mother tongues, you would need to know no fewer than twenty languages. He sets out to explore these top twenty world languages, which range from the familiar (French, Spanish) to the surprising (Malay, Javanese, Bengali). Babel whisks the reader on a

English is the world language, except that most of the world doesn't speak it--only one in five people does. Dorren calculates that to speak fluently with half of the world's 7.4 billion people in their mother tongues, you would need to know no fewer than twenty languages. He sets out to explore these top twenty world languages, which range from the familiar (French, Spanish) to the surprising (Malay, Javanese, Bengali). Babel whisks the reader on a delightful journey to every continent of the world, tracing how these world languages rose to greatness while others fell away and showing how speakers today handle the foibles of their mother tongues. Whether showcasing tongue-tying phonetics or elegant but complicated writing scripts, and mind-bending quirks of grammar, Babel vividly illustrates that mother tongues are like nations: each has its own customs and beliefs that seem as self-evident to those born into it as they are surprising to the outside world.

Among many other things, Babel will teach you why modern Turks can't read books that are a mere 75 years old, what it means in practice for Russian and English to be relatives, and how Japanese developed separate "dialects" for men and women. Dorren lets you in on his personal trials and triumphs while studying Vietnamese in Hanoi, debunks ten widespread myths about Chinese characters, and discovers that Swahili became the lingua franca in a part of the world where people routinely speak three or more languages. Witty, fascinating and utterly compelling, Babel will change the way you look at and listen to the world and how it speaks.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Published: 12/04/2018
ISBN: 9780802128799
Pages: 320
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.70w x 1.50d

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 07/01/2018 pg. 51
Booklist 10/15/2018 pg. 6
Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2018
Library Journal 10/15/2018 pg. 65
Publishers Weekly 11/12/2018
Shelf Awareness 12/07/2018

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SKU: 10479275759

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GoddessLucyLou
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Detailed world building
Format: Kindle, Format: Kindle
I was completely immersed in the world that Dani spun so well. The book is filled with details and beautiful descriptions. The tempo and flow of the book was easy to follow. The book follows a strong female business owner who has dealt with prejudices and discrimination. The love story that develops is beautiful. My favorite line in the book sums it up perfectly. “…she had forgotten, for a moment, what parts she had. She was simply a woman being made love to by another woman.”
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Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2026
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Kindle Customer
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Sweet and Spicy
Format: Kindle
I really enjoyed this. It is mushy and sweet and very spicy as well. I like how the MCs business is part of it and also the love interest's son. Interesting world building as well.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2025
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Catherine Bowser
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 4
What a spicy lovely tale of love
Format: Kindle
I receive an ARC copy and am leaving my thoughts voluntarily. I really liked all the other books in this series and it was so nice to see characters I loved again while being introduced to some new faces that I can to love just as much. And I love seeing that some development has occurred! It’s not vital to the story but still nice to see. The idea of a romance with one character being a single mom isn’t something I see too often. And it’s done so well here. There’s genuine interest in not only the mom but the child as well and becoming a true family, with all feelings considered. I adored seeing the interactions with Theo. And one character is also trans, with some societal pushback they have to struggle though, which makes life all the harder and the sweet scenes all the sweeter. The spice here is high. But the thing I love about all Dani’s books is the strong emphasis on consent. It’s not there as an afterthought, it is as important as aspect as the physical act! And I adore it. Anyone that argues consent can’t be sexy should read Dani’s books. The world building is woven into the plot with exploration of history, discussion of the “he said, she said” of historical events, and how knowing the truth is important. I loved seeing the characters uncover and process everything. That’s probably a huge trait of Dani’s books I adore—there’s room to breathe. They give you the space to really process which adds to the realism. These are character driven books and I love getting to know each one. Recommend this one and all the ones before it! Just make sure you can handle the spice and the nastiness of how cruel people can be because it pulls no punches.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2024
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Chris F
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Five Stars
Format: Hardcover
Just another good piece to add to my collection. Awesome was excited to get it.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2014
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jason slicker
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Five Stars
Format: Hardcover
Awesome
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Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2014

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