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Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages
by Mark Abley
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- ISBN 10
- 0679311017
- ISBN 13
- 9780679311010
- Seller
-
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Random House Canada. Used - Acceptable.
Synopsis
In Spoken Here, Mark Abley journeys around the world seeking out languages in peril -- Manx, Mohawk, Boro, Yiddish, and many more. Along the way he reveals delicious linguistic oddities and shows us what is lost when one of the world's six thousand tongues dies -- an irreplaceable worldview and a wealth of practical knowledge. He also examines the forces, from pop culture to creoles to global politics, that threaten to wipe out 90 percent of languages by this century's end. Abley encounters one of the last two speakers of an Australian language, whose tribal taboos forbid them to talk to each other. He spotlights those who believe that violence is the only way to save their tongue. He meets a Yiddish novelist who writes for an audience she knows doesn't exist. He pays tribute to such strange tongues as the Amazonian language last spoken by a parrot, the Caucasian language with no vowels, and the South Asian language whose innumerable verbs include gobray (to fall in a well unknowingly) and onsra (to love for the last time). Each of the languages Abley spotlights, from the familiar to the foreign, exemplifies the various threats that endanger languages worldwide. But many also prove their resilience, thanks to the efforts of their determined speakers and such unlikely tools as soap operas and pop music. Abley meets the crusaders as well as the uncaring, all of whom offer surprising insight into this centuries-old debate. Spoken Here is a singular travelogue, a compelling case for linguistic diversity, and a treasure trove for anyone who loves any language.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Russell Books Ltd
(CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- FORT482540
- Title
- Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages
- Author
- Mark Abley
- Book Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0679311017
- ISBN 13
- 9780679311010
- Publisher
- Random House Canada
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- This edition first published
- 2003
Terms of Sale
Russell Books Ltd
For further information - (250) 361-4447 (GST applied to all Canadian orders). Shipping prices are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. Canadian and U.S. orders sent with Automated Package Tracking and delivery confirmation, where available. If your book order is heavy or over-sized, we may contact you regarding any extra shipping costs.
About the Seller
Russell Books Ltd
Biblio member since 2006
Victoria, British Columbia
About Russell Books Ltd
Family owned and operated since 1961. Located in Downtown Victoria selling new, used, and remainder titles in all categories. We also have an extensive selection of Journals, cards and calendars.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Acceptable
- A non-traditional book condition description that generally refers to a book in readable condition, although no standard exists...
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