History of Language (Reaktion Books - Globalities) [Paperback]

Steven Roger Fischer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2004 | ISBN-10: 186189080X | ISBN-13: 978-1861890801

It is tempting to take the tremendous rate of contemporary linguistic change for granted. What is required, in fact, is a radical reinterpretation of what language is. Steven Roger Fischer begins his book with an examination of the modes of communication used by dolphins, birds and primates as the first contexts in which the concept of "language" might be applied. As he charts the history of language from the times of Homo erectus, Neanderthal humans and Homo sapiens through to the nineteenth century, when the science of linguistics was developed, Fischer analyses the emergence of language as a science and its development as a written form. He considers the rise of pidgin, creole, jargon and slang, as well as the effects radio and television, propaganda, advertising and the media are having on language today. Looking to the future, he shows how electronic media will continue to reshape and re-invent the ways in which we communicate.

"[a] delightful and unexpectedly accessible book ... a virtuoso tour of the linguistic world."—The Economist

"... few who read this remarkable study will regard language in quite the same way again."—The Good Book Guide

Editorial Reviews

Review

a delightful and unexpectedly accessible book ... a virtuoso tour of the linguistic world The Economist ... few who read this remarkable study will regard language in quite the same way again The Good Book Guide Steven Fischer's intriguing and ambitious study explores a vast terrain, parts of which have scarcely been charted, others examined in some depth over many years and, as he relates, many centuries. Throughout, he addresses hard questions that bear directly on fundamental and distinctive aspects of human nature and achievement. A stimulating and highly informative inquiry Noam Chomsky

About the Author

Steven Roger Fischer is Director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literatures in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the author of Glyph-breaker (1997). A History of Language is part of Fischer’s trilogy for Reaktion, which also includes A History of Writing and A History of Reading.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Reaktion Books (October 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 186189080X
• ISBN-13: 978-1861890801
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #906,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Room for improvement, but still a good read, December 28, 2007

By 

Eamonn Gormley "EG" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History of Language (Reaktion Books - Globalities) (Paperback)

The history of language is a fascinating thing. It's a tough thing to trace in some cultures where writing wasn't developed, and where writing was developed we can only guess what it sounded like before audio recording equipment was developed. This book give a good history of all we know about language starting from first principles of where language developed and how it works in lower animals.

The evolution of European languages is what I was most interested in, and I'm pleased with the depth that Fischer goes into. Prose is a difficult medium to use to get across the spread of languages though, and I think that better use of diagrams and maps would have been in order. (Ideally, an animation would be the only way to truly explain it.)

The only other problem I had with this book was the chapter about the history of the study of linguistics, which I didn't find terribly interesting, and I skipped to the end of that part.

Still a good read though.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bought it for my wife - ended up reading it myself!, July 9, 2003

By 

isala "Isabel and Lars" (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Language (Reaktion Books - Globalities) (Hardcover)

This book gives a clear, concise, and riveting explanation of the development of language and evolution of languages. Fischer manages to write a treatise that is both scholarly and popular at the same time. The only thing I miss is a chapter on popoualtion movement and languages that exist on the fringes - like the Tierra del Fuego languages.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History of Language - a populist linguist's view, March 10, 2008

By 

Anne Bellavoine "Vox Amicus Terrae" (Brea, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History of Language (Reaktion Books - Globalities) (Paperback)

I rank Fischer with Pinkner and Crystal as one of those gifted writers whicn can make an onerous topic understandable by anyone.

I was particularly interested in the 2nd chapter, on the development of language into humans and its comparison with the communication abilities of other animals and in particular our close cousins the apes.

The rest of the book gives a clear, succinct and comprehensible overview of the field of linguistics.

A great read for anyone with a general interest in linguistics!