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Through the Language Glass
Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages | Guy Deutscher
13 posts | 13 read | 33 to read
A masterpiece of linguistics scholarship, at once erudite and entertaining, confronts the thorny question of howand whetherculture shapes language and language, culture Linguistics has long shied away from claiming any link between a language and the culture of its speakers: too much simplistic (even bigoted) chatter about the romance of Italian and the goose-stepping orderliness of German has made serious thinkers wary of the entire subject. But now, acclaimed linguist Guy Deutscher has dared to reopen the issue. Can culture influence languageand vice versa? Can different languages lead their speakers to different thoughts? Could our experience of the world depend on whether our language has a word for "blue"? Challenging the consensus that the fundaments of language are hard-wired in our genes and thus universal, Deutscher argues that the answer to all these questions isyes. In thrilling fashion, he takes us from Homer to Darwin, from Yale to the Amazon, from how to name the rainbow to why Russian watera "she"becomes a "he" once you dip a tea bag into her, demonstrating that language does in fact reflect culture in ways that are anything but trivial. Audacious, delightful, and field-changing, Through the Language Glass is a classic of intellectual discovery.
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MariaW
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And the reading spot of this morning 😊😊😊

mcipher Oooh that looks so nice!! 2y
MariaW @mcipher Nasser lake in Aswan/Egypt 😊 2y
43 likes2 comments
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MariaW
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My reading spot for the weekend… #assuan #aswan

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful 💙 ⛵️ 2y
MariaW @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks This is Egypt 💗 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @MariaW wow! It‘s beautiful 😍 2y
46 likes3 comments
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violabrain
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Mehso-so

The topics covered in this book are right up my alley, but I couldn‘t believe the racist terminology in referring to Indigenous peoples and languages (savages, primitive, etc.). It read like something written in the 1980s (or earlier), not 2010.

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Tianarose
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I‘ve already got 4-5 books on the go but couldn‘t resist an interesting pick from the library.

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Buechersuechtling
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Pickpick

Loved this Blink. It deals with colours and language.

What was first? The recognition of the colours or the words for the colours?

So, so interesting. Not only to learn that different languages and cultures have sometimes different names for colours, but also to learn that there is a certain sequence in which words for colours develop and that it is the same in every language. And that there is a reason for this sequence.

Much recommended‼️

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Jgotham
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I‘ve been in a reading slump lately so I think I‘ll try to read a bit of this tonight before I completely fall asleep 😴

6 likes1 stack add
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mellissimo
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Pickpick

This book was informative while still being fun to read and not to complicated. Everything was perfectly described and entertaining to think about.
Especially the parts about the german language were very funny to me. I don't feel like I have a very orderly mind 😂

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mellissimo
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The first book I ever bought because of Litsy! I found it in a post and thought it sounds very interesting, sadly I forgot where I saw it. I love this about Litsy: Finding new wonderful things all the time. Let's hope this book will be the first one in a long row! 😁

DivineDiana That happens to me all the time!😉 Welcome to Litsy! (edited) 7y
26 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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buecherwurm
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Pickpick

This was an incredibly fun read! It's not perfect - there were certain topics Deutscher left out that I would have loved to read more about and others which he elaborated way too much - but overall it was not only an informative read but I actually enjoyed his writing style and his sense of humour. As someone who wasn't very familiar with the topic before there were some moments where I were truly amazed.

DrexEdit I like any book Stephen Fry likes! 😊 7y
22 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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buecherwurm
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😂😂😂

This might be the most funny scientific book I ever read. Even as a German (or maybe specifically as a German?) who Deutscher seemingly really likes to make fun of I'm laughing quiet a lot.

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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 4! This masterpiece of linguistics scholarship by the acclaimed linguist looks at the fundamental question of how and whether language shapes culture or vice versa. Can different languages lead to different thoughts? He says yes. From Homer to Darwin, Yale to the Amazon, from naming the rainbow to Russian turns of gender terms, this study sounds quite illuminating! #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

brilliantglow That sounds like such a fascinating read 7y
80 likes11 stack adds1 comment
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buecherwurm
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“In German [...] there are at least seven different ways of forming plurals“

I see why german might seem confusing😂

Sarah83 I'm quite grateful, that German is my native language and I don't have to learn it. 😊 7y
14 likes1 comment
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buecherwurm
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Reading a bit on the train to Berlin