{"product_id":"the-unfolding-of-language-an-evolutionary-tour-of-mankinds-greatest-invention-9780805080124","title":"The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlending the spirit of \u003ci\u003eEats, Shoots \u0026amp; Leaves\u003c\/i\u003e with the science of \u003ci\u003eThe Language Instinct\u003c\/i\u003e, an original inquiry into the development of that most essential-and mysterious-of human creations: Language\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLanguage is mankind's greatest invention-except, of course, that it was never invented.\" So begins linguist Guy Deutscher's enthralling investigation into the genesis and evolution of language. 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 degrees of meaning? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on recent groundbreaking discoveries in modern linguistics, Deutscher exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication, giving us fresh insight into how language emerges, evolves, and decays. He traces the evolution of linguistic complexity from an early \"Me Tarzan\" stage to such elaborate single-word constructions as the Turkish \u003ci\u003esehirlilestiremediklerimizdensiniz\u003c\/i\u003e (\"you are one of those whom we couldn't turn into a town dweller\"). Arguing that destruction and creation in language are intimately entwined, Deutscher shows how these processes are continuously in operation, generating new words, new structures, and new meanings. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs entertaining as it is erudite, \u003ci\u003eThe Unfolding of Language\u003c\/i\u003e moves nimbly from ancient Babylonian to American idiom, from the central role of metaphor to the staggering triumph of design that is the Semitic verb, to tell the dramatic story and explain the genius behind a uniquely human faculty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-86082\"\u003eGuy Deutscher\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Holt Paperbacks\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/02\/2006\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.20h x 6.44w x 1.01d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780805080124\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0805080120\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-LAN\"\u003eLanguage Arts \u0026amp; Disciplines\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-LAN009000\"\u003eLinguistics | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-SOC\"\u003eSocial Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-SOC002000\"\u003eAnthropology | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Israel in 1969, \u003cb\u003eGuy Deutscher\u003c\/b\u003e studied mathematics and earned a Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of Cambridge, where he became a research fellow in 1998. A widely acclaimed scholar of ancient Semitic languages, Deutscher is at the University of Leiden in Holland.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Holt Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42688550797549,"sku":"9780805080124","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/files\/img_4a4f3171-4298-4f2e-b649-11c2af526767.jpg?v=1747436679","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/the-unfolding-of-language-an-evolutionary-tour-of-mankinds-greatest-invention-9780805080124","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}