The Art of Verbal Warfare - Couverture rigide

Smits, Rik

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1789145945 ISBN 13 : 9781789145946

Editeur : Reaktion Books, 2022

Synopsis

'A spicy and entertaining read throughout, from popular slang to political mud-slinging . . . there is such a fountain of anarchic, foul-mouthed, carnivalesque energy, obscenity and linguistic mayhem on display here.’ - Sunday Times

'In examining how we swear to defend our turf or encroach on other people's, [Smits] draws on his own experience, as well as reproducing nuggets of salty invective from the football terraces or the verbal duels performed by Yoruba women. It's an eye-opening ride.' - Times Literary Supplement

We use salty or artful language to win arguments, slander, cheat and bully, as well as to express feelings of joy or frustration and blow off steam. Rik Smits delves into the magic of oaths and profanity, art and advertising, probes the lure of fake-news and propaganda, and explores invective and off-colour jokes the world over. The Art of Verbal Warfare shows why conversation dies in crowded lifts, what drives you to curse at your laptop and what makes some political bigshots fall, but not others. This is, when all is said and done, the story of how we get through life without coming to physical blows.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Rik Smits is a linguist based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His books include The Puzzle of Left-handedness (Reaktion, 2011) and Dawn: The Origins of Language and the Modern Human Mind (2016).

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Reaktion Books
• Date d'édition: 2022
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1789145945
• ISBN 13: 9781789145946
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 528
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible