The Last Lingua Franca: English Until the Return of Babel - Couverture rigide

Ostler, Nicholas

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1846142156 ISBN 13 : 9781846142154

Editeur : Allen Lane, 2010

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

In this provocative and persuasive new book, Nicholas Ostler challenges our assumption that English will continue to dominate as the global lingua franca. Drawing on his encyclopaedic knowledge of world languages and their history, Ostler reveals that just as past great languages like Latin and Sanskrit have died out, so English will follow. The influence of English now is hard to exaggerate – it is the world’s preferred medium for business, science and entertainment, and is claimed to be a basic educational tool like mathematics or computing. So is it here to stay? For the last four centuries, the dominant world power has been English-speaking, but the global balance of power is shifting. And in countries like Brazil, Russia and China, English plays no part in the national tradition. Although globalization has helped the rise of English, trade, migration, economic development and technological innovation are now changing the way we access and use language. Ostler shows how we are headed towards a much more multilingual and diverse future. And as English retreats, no single language will take its place. We can embrace this future but first we need to accept it: the last competitive advantage of native English-speakers will soon be consigned to history.

Revue de presse :

Frequently jaw-dropping and never less than convincing (Henry Hitchings Financial Times)

A linguist of astonishing voracity ... the predictions are striking (Economist)

Extensive and engaging...A sweepingly learned and garrulous guide to historical curiosities (James McConnachie Sunday Times)

A wide-ranging linguistic perspective. (Robert McCrum The Observer)

As Nicholas Ostler exhaustively documents...history shows that no language will dominate the world conversation forever...More provocatively, Ostler argues that, once the dominance of English has waned, no lingua franca will replace it. (Jonathon Keats New Scientist)

A thorough analysis of the rise and fall of different lingua francas, Ostler provides us with a series of rich examples showing how these 'common languages' achieve prominence and how they subsequently, and inevitably, lose this, left to shrivel for use only as mother tongues. (Colin Fraser Scotsman)

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Allen Lane
• Date d'édition: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1846142156
• ISBN 13: 9781846142154
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 352