Empires of the word : a language history of the world / Nicholas Ostler.
An offbeat natural history of language takes readers from the educational and cultural innovators of Sumeria, to the resilience of Chinese, to the global spread of English, in a volume that offers linguistic perspectives on numerous past and present civilizations.
Record details
- ISBN: 0066210860
- ISBN: 9780066210865
- Physical Description: xxi, 615 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
- Edition: First American edition
- Publisher: New York : HarperCollins Publishers, [2005]
- Copyright: ©2005
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 579-589) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Part I: The nature of language history -- Themistocles' carpet -- What it takes to be a world language; or, you never can tell -- Part II: Languages by land -- The desert blooms: language innovation in the Middle East -- Triumphs of fertility: Egyptian and Chinese -- Charming like a creeper: the cultured career of Sanskrit -- Three thousand years of solipsism: the adventures of Greek -- Contesting Europe: Celt, Roman, German and Slav -- The first death of Latin -- Part III: Languages by sea -- The second death of Latin -- Usurpers of greatness: Spanish in the New World -- In the train of empire:Europe's languages abroad -- Microcosm or distorting mirror? the career of English -- Part IV: Languages today and tomorrow -- The current top twenty -- Looking ahead.
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Available copies
- 9 of 10 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 10 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Main Library | 409 OST (Text) | 36015000684429 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
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| 100 | 1 | . | ‡aOstler, Nicholas. ‡0(CARDINAL)432366 |
| 245 | 1 | 0. | ‡aEmpires of the word : ‡ba language history of the world / ‡cNicholas Ostler. |
| 250 | . | ‡aFirst American edition | |
| 264 | 1. | ‡aNew York : ‡bHarperCollins Publishers, ‡c[2005] | |
| 264 | 4. | ‡c©2005 | |
| 300 | . | ‡axxi, 615 pages : ‡billustrations, maps ; ‡c24 cm | |
| 336 | . | ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent | |
| 337 | . | ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia | |
| 338 | . | ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier | |
| 504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 579-589) and index. | |
| 505 | 0 | . | ‡aPart I: The nature of language history -- Themistocles' carpet -- What it takes to be a world language; or, you never can tell -- Part II: Languages by land -- The desert blooms: language innovation in the Middle East -- Triumphs of fertility: Egyptian and Chinese -- Charming like a creeper: the cultured career of Sanskrit -- Three thousand years of solipsism: the adventures of Greek -- Contesting Europe: Celt, Roman, German and Slav -- The first death of Latin -- Part III: Languages by sea -- The second death of Latin -- Usurpers of greatness: Spanish in the New World -- In the train of empire:Europe's languages abroad -- Microcosm or distorting mirror? the career of English -- Part IV: Languages today and tomorrow -- The current top twenty -- Looking ahead. |
| 520 | . | ‡aAn offbeat natural history of language takes readers from the educational and cultural innovators of Sumeria, to the resilience of Chinese, to the global spread of English, in a volume that offers linguistic perspectives on numerous past and present civilizations. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aHistorical linguistics. ‡0(CARDINAL)351267 | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aLanguage and languages. ‡0(CARDINAL)243958 | |
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