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Language Interrupted: Signs of Non-Native Acquisition in Standard Language Grammars by John McWhorter (Hardcover, 2007)

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Foreigners often say that English language is easy. A language like Spanish is challenging in its variety of verb endings (the verb speak is conjugated hablo, hablas, hablamos), and gender for nouns, whereas English is more straight forward (I speak, you speak, we speak). But linguists generally swat down claims that certain languages are easier than others, since it is assumed all languages are complex to the same degree. For example, they will point to English's use of the word do -- Do you know French? This usage is counter-intuitive and difficult for non-native speakers. Linguist John McWhorter agrees that all languages are complex, but questions whether or not they are all equally complex. The topic of complexity has become a hot issue in recent years, particularly in creole studies, historical linguistics, and language contact. As McWhorter describes, when languages came into contact over the years (when French speakers ruled the English for a few centuries, or the vikings invaded England), a large number of speakers are forced to learn a new language quickly, and this came up with a simplified version, a pidgin. When this ultimately turns into a real language, a creole, the result is still simpler and less complex than a non-interrupted language that has been around for a long time. McWhorter makes the case that this kind of simplification happens in degrees, and criticizes linguists who are reluctant to say that, for example, English is simply simpler than Spanish for socio-historical reasons. He analyzes how various languages that seem simple but are not creoles, actually are simpler than they would be if they had not been broken down by large numbers of adult learners. In addition to English, he looks at Mandarin Chinese, Persian, Malay, and some Arabic varieties. His work will interest not just experts in creole studies and historical linguistics, but the wider community interested in language complexity.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Oxford University Press Inc
ISBN-13
9780195309805
eBay Product ID (ePID)
94492738

Product Key Features

Book Title
Language Interrupted: Signs of Non-Native Acquisition in Standard Language Grammars
Author
John Mcwhorter
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Publication Year
2007
Number of Pages
304 Pages

Dimensions

Item Height
243mm
Item Width
164mm
Item Weight
625g

Additional Product Features

Title_Author
John Mcwhorter
Country/Region of Manufacture
United States

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Language Interrupted: Signs of Non-Native Acquisition in Standard Language Grammars by John McWhorter (Hardcover, 2007)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

Best Selling in Books

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