Language A to Z

By: John McWhorter, The Great Courses

Narrated by: John McWhorter

Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Linguistics, the study of language, has a reputation for being complex and inaccessible. But here's a secret: There's a lot that's quirky and intriguing about how human language works-and much of it is downright fun to learn about. But with so many potential avenues of exploration, it can often seem daunting to try to understand it. Where does one even start?

In these twenty-four 15-minute lectures by one of the best-known popularizes of language, you'll discover a delightful way to get accessible, bite-sized introductions to language. Using the English alphabet as a unique, offbeat way to approach the subject, Professor McWhorter has crafted a hopscotch tour of some of the field's major topics, hot-button issues, and more.

You'll learn why it can actually be OK to use slang like "LOL." Why English speakers don't use words like "thou" and "thee" anymore. What makes "mama" and "papa" a child's first words-in many languages. How popular rhymes like "Eeny, meeny, miney, moe") actually derive from the words for numbers in an early relative of Welsh. Why "like" is here to stay in common American speech. And much more.

These and other fascinating topics are all delivered in Professor McWhorter's light-hearted yet informative teaching style, which makes this series essential for anyone looking for a welcoming window into the quirks, curiosities, and intricacies of how language works. Filled with humor, whimsy, and no shortage of insights, it's a fast-paced tour of the same territory linguists tread each and every day.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2012 The Great Courses (P)2012 The Teaching Company, LLC

interesting

Very interesting facts about languages, presented in easily digestible but scattered format. Humorous lecturer. recommended

Great overview of the fascinating world of langs

Curious about what makes English what it is? Do you know how bizzare it really is? Does a language have to written to be 'real'? Where does slang come from?

The answers to these questions and many others are here in this unique collection of 24 fifteen minute lectures.

Witty and insightful

If you are interested in language then you must get this book. It is packed full of interesting facts delivered in a lighthearted and fast paced style by Professor John McWhorter.
The book is broken up into 24 15 minute lectures which uses a different letter of the alphabet as a jumping off point to a discussion about some aspect of language.
The short lecture length allows you to listen to a complete piece if you just have 15 minutes to spare.
Many times I found myself laughing out loud which isn't something I often can say about language lectures! But at the same time I learned many new things about how we speak and the different nuances of language all over the world.
Highly recommended

Intelligent insights for the general reader

One of my favourites from the Great Courses. Wittily and entertainingly read, funny and engaging, very easy to listen to, but still a great learning experience. The listener will walk away with not only a whole bunch of interesting random trivia about language, but also relevant, insightful facts that shed a broader and useful light on society and language usage generally. This is a fun and funny, cheerful listen that is a bit lighter than Professor McWhorter's other course "Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage", which is slightly more technical although no less fun.

Loved This!

What did you like best about this story?

This course is both engaging and enlightening. John sucks the listener in from the very start, and the education does not stop until the very end. I learned more in this one course than in all my language courses through graduate school combined.

I regularly use this course as an introduction to The Great Courses for others since it is both highly educational, easy to listen to, and so much fun!

interesting and informative

I enjoyed hearing about so many exotic languages. It is hard to believe the way my own language has evolved over the years.

Entertaining scholarship

Fascinating and informative. Recommended before bastard tongue as a primer. I would consider other titles by this author. He is also entertaining.

Educational, entertaining and deeply enjoyable.

Educational, entertaining and deeply enjoyable. A fun and flighty journey through the history of language. Highly recommended.

Excellent

This lecture series was excellent in all aspects. It was informative in depth of individual languages and in breadth of languages as a whole. it had great stories, and it was even humorous at times.

Entertaining, a bit lacking

It tries to list 26 linguistic topics based on the English alphabet, often with no logical connection to the topic that comes before or after. While it was entertaining to listen to, and has some useful nuggets of information, it feels a bit lacking.