MARC Record from marc_columbia

LEADER: 03136pam a2200373 a 4500
001 5348419
005 20221110023523.0
008 041210s2005 nyuab b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2004065607
020 $a0805079076
024 3 $a9780805079074
035 $a(OCoLC)ocm57311730
035 $a(NNC)5348419
035 $a5348419
040 $aDLC$cDLC$dOrLoB-B
050 00 $aP116$b.D48 2005
082 00 $a401$222
100 1 $aDeutscher, Guy,$d1969-$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n00048656
245 14 $aThe unfolding of language :$ban evolutionary tour of mankind's greatest invention.
250 $a1st ed.
260 $aNew York :$bMetropolitan Books,$c2005.
300 $a358 pages :$billustrations, maps ;$c24 cm
336 $atext$btxt$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$bn$2rdamedia
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 329-340) and index.
505 00 $g1.$tA castle in the air -- $g2.$tPerpetual motion -- $g3.$tThe forces of destruction -- $g4.$tThe reef of dead metaphors -- $g5.$tThe forces of creation -- $g6.$tCraving for order -- $g7.$tThe unfolding of language -- $gApp. A.$tFlipping categories -- $gApp. B.$tLaryngeals again? -- $gApp. C.$tThe devil in the detail -- $gApp. D.$tThe cook's counterpoint -- $gApp. E.$tThe Turkish mirror.
520 1 $a""Language is mankind's greatest invention - except of course, that it was never invented." So begins linguist Guy Deutscher's investigation into the evolution of language. No one believes that the Roman Senate sat down one day to design the complex system that is Latin grammar, and few believe, these days, in the literal truth of the story of the Tower of Babel. But then how did there come to be so many languages, and of such elaborate design? 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 shades of meaning?" "Drawing on recent discoveries in modern linguistics, Deutscher exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication, giving us fresh insight into how language is formed, evolves, and decays. He traces the emergence of linguistic complexity from an early evolutionary "Me Tarzan" stage to the astonishing power of languages today, their capacity to express even the subtlest thoughts and ideas. 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."--BOOK JACKET.
650 0 $aLanguage and languages$xOrigin.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85074529
650 0 $aLanguage and languages$xPhilosophy.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85074574
650 0 $aLinguistic change.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85077214
650 0 $aSemantics, Comparative.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85119874
650 0 $aMetaphor.$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85084283
650 0 $aOrder (Grammar)$0http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85095355
852 00 $bglx$hP116$i.D48 2005