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Language Families of the World
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Categories: Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences
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Publisher's Summary
Language, in its seemingly infinite varieties, tells us who we are and where we come from. Many linguists believe that all of the world’s languages - over 7,000 currently - emerged from a single prehistoric source. While experts have not yet been able to reproduce this proto-language, most of the world’s current languages can be traced to various language families that have branched and divided, spreading across the globe with migrating humans and evolving over time.
The ability to communicate with the spoken word is so prevelant that we have yet to discover a civilization that does not speak. The fitful preservation of human remains throughout history has made tracing the ultimate origin of sophisticated human cultures difficult, but it is assumed that language is at least 300,000 years old. With so much time comes immense change - including the development of the written word. There’s no doubt that over centuries, numerous languages have been born, thrived, and died. So how did we get here, and how do we trace the many language branches back to the root?
In Language Families of the World, Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University takes you back through time and around the world, following the linguistic trails left by generations of humans that lead back to the beginnings of language. Utilizing historical theories and cutting-edge research, these 34 astonishing lectures will introduce you to the major language families of the world and their many offspring, including a variety of languages that are no longer spoken but provide vital links between past and present.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Language Families of the World
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- Josh Pratt
- 2019-09-15
Interesting lecture series
The lecturer was engrossing. His passion for the subject is obvious and he manages to keep what could be very dry material interesting and fun. Worth the listen.
5 people found this helpful
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- Nadyne Tremblay
- 2019-09-26
Sujet et orateur parfaits
C'est avec un peu de tristesse que j'ai terminé d'écouter "Language families of the world". J'ai appris une quantité astronomique de choses, j'ai ri et ai été intéressée par tous les chapitres. Je dois admettre que c'est seulement le deuxième linguiste que j'aime (Henriette Walter étant la première).
4 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2019-07-28
Lecturer is quite a character!
I actually liked his inside jokes and personal references - although a bit off sidetrack at times but nevertheless it made listening to his lectures fun.
7 people found this helpful
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- Jade
- 2020-08-08
Everything you could hope for
I loved this, you risk bringing up everything you learn too many times with friends and family (who you are secretly trying to seduce into listening to it too so you can share your delight), but it's so worth it. I know I will listen to this many times as my brain fights to retain so many new and fascinating things. The prof is an utter delight too.
2 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 2020-11-03
Loved the course
It was a pleasure to listen to someone so very knowledgeable and excited about the subject. Today I know MUCH more than I knew before I listened, thanx.
1 person found this helpful
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- Can
- 2020-06-29
5-stars with a catch
First and foremost this is absolutely an amazing resource for language enthusiasts. If you are into the topic, go ahead and start enjoying it. The catch is that this is such massive topic and the series contains incomplete info which can lead to inaccurate conclusions about the function/use of Ottoman Turkish in its era. Ottoman Turkish being a hybrid language of was never spoken by the population. The way it’s presented in this book sounds like people in Turkey used to speak Ottoman Turkish. The truth is it was only used in the palace and among The Istanbul elite. Also sekiz means eight, not seven. Overall, this is a great audiobook. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes the topic.
1 person found this helpful
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- Carol Leadbeater
- 2020-03-04
Prof McWhorter is fantastic!
I am so happy I bought this Course. I have little background in languages but a lot of interest. The content itself is interesting BUT it's the Professor that absolutely makes this Course. I have laughed out loud often at his quips. He's interesting and engaging, the stories to elaborate the examples are fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed every time he did an impression. I can only imagine how fantastic his university classes must be. if you have any interest in how languages have evolved, I absolutely recommend this as a fun way to learn.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jonathan
- 2021-01-10
This is John McWhorter at his most exhausting
He apparently thinks that evidence should never get in the way of a good story.
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- PCR
- 2020-08-26
Meh.
Mildly interesting. Clearly, the author loves this topic. I lostened to one chapter a night to lull me to sleep..
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- Privet
- 2019-04-20
Exactly what I was hoping and searching for
again, John McWortet delivers a great performance. The book, or rather the lecture structure, is extremely well put together. The performance, as always, complicated enough to let you know that he's an expert, but simple and humorous enough to let you actually learn and cause you to actually want to learn. I have been looking for a nice exposition of the language families of the world, and this did that perfectly. It also open my eyes to different ways of thinking, different ways of communicating, and different ways of being a human being. Anything that increases my understanding and tolerance like that, while also being a book that I've looked for since I was about 4 years old, is very good.
74 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2019-03-09
Superb
Overviewing the language families of the world is a massive undertaking, but McWhorter pulls it off well! He breaks up the lectures on specific families with tidbits about linguistics in general. Individual lectures are both entertaining and informative. Highly recommend!
52 people found this helpful
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- Mark
- 2019-02-10
Entertaining
Anyone familiar with Professor McWhorter's work will enjoy this course. It's not the most structured lecture series you'll ever find, but it sparkles with McWhorter's trademark riffing, digressions, anecdotes, silly voices and pop culture references. Think of it as 16 hours of the most accomplished and entertaining linguist imaginable summarizing everything he knows about language families.
79 people found this helpful
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- Tim
- 2019-02-12
Great update!
While using some of the same lessons from his previous course, the story of human language, Dr. Mcworter still manages to be extremely engaging to the language curiosity in all of us. If you’ve listen to the previous “story of human language”, this will be as enjoyable and more so if you want to dig down into what exactly makes all these language families so very different.
38 people found this helpful
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- F. Stuart Leeds
- 2019-04-19
Masterful as Ever - and Then Some
John McWhorter is (in a turn of phrase he might appreciate)...kinda sui generis. Some teachers are great performers. And some performers are great teachers. McWhorter is all of the above. His courses are so much fun, and so full of illuminating information. My only complaint is that they are of finite length, and that they eventually have to come to their ends. As for this particular course - well. What a whirlwind survey of the world’s languages. And what rare form McWhorter is in, as he covers them all with panache and brio. My only faint plaint is that, as an unrepentant popularizer, he sometimes tries a little too hard to keep things simple, if not a little dumbed-down. These might not be 101 courses, but they’re not 301s, either. I think we can handle a little more technical jargon, and a little deeper dive into the linguist’s toolkit. But these are trifling kvetches. This course is simply fabulous, and you just need to 1. Get it, 2. Listen to it, and 3. Lather-rinse-repeat with the entire McWhorter catalogue.
33 people found this helpful
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- Maev
- 2019-06-22
Best of McWhorter
This is the best audio course you'll find by McWhorter on audible. Extremely interesting and McWhorter's quirky presentation makes this one a must have if you like linguistics.
13 people found this helpful
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- Ben
- 2019-03-01
Loved It!!!
The most enjoyable Great Courses lecture so far. Professor McWhorter is outstanding. I highly recommend this series.
15 people found this helpful
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- Kristine G.
- 2019-03-28
Interesting
John McWhorter is entertaining and funny. His voice is warm and caring. He does a great job teaching about languages and how they develop, change and die off.
14 people found this helpful
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- Utah Homme
- 2019-04-28
Excellent Overview and Fascinating Details
Another home run from the excellent John McWhorter. Great insights into the languages of the world and their distinguishing features. A great antidote to any notions that Western languages have inherent superiority to others.
12 people found this helpful
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- Alwyn Vorster
- 2019-05-11
Extremely interesting
If languages mixed with a bit of history is your kind of thing, you'll enjoy this. Funny and charismatic professor too.
14 people found this helpful