Linguaphile
A Life of Language Love
by Julie Sedivy
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Oct 15 2024 | Archive Date Nov 15 2024
Description
A celebration of the beauty and mystery of language and how it shapes our lives, our loves, and our world.
If there is one feature that defines the human condition, it is language: written, spoken, signed, understood, and misunderstood, in all its infinite glory. In this ingenious, lyrical exploration, Julie Sedivy draws on years of experience in the lab and a lifetime of linguistic love to bring the discoveries of linguistics home, to the place language itself lives: within the yearnings of the human heart and amid the complex social bonds that it makes possible.
Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love follows the path that language takes through a human life—from an infant’s first attempts at sense-making to the vulnerabilities and losses that accompany aging. As Sedivy shows, however, language and life are inextricable, and here she offers them together: a childish misunderstanding of her mother’s meaning reveals the difficulty of relating to other minds; frustration with “professional” communication styles exposes the labyrinth of standards that define success; the first signs of hearing loss lead to a meditation on society’s discomfort with physical and mental limitations.
Part memoir, part scientific exploration, and part cultural commentary, this book epitomizes the thrills of a life steeped in the aesthetic delights of language and the joys of its scientific scrutiny.
A Note From the Publisher
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780374601836 |
| PRICE | $29.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 336 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Flo J, Educator
A very impressive read ! Julie Sedivy is a true pedagogue, sucessfully interwining science knowledge with the richness of the language. The book is a must to read for anyone interested in linguistics. It is a unique reading experience. I regularly marvelled at how it is possible to combine the words and ideas in such a way to explain and demonstrate what is in fact how the language emerges and flows from our brain. Than you so much to the author and Netgalley to allow me to read an advanced copy. All opinions are mine.
Lauren C, Book Trade Professional
Linguaphile is a treat for the minds of everyone who has ever felt captured by the magic and mystery of language. Julie Sedivy imparts her expert knowledge of linguistics in a way that is digestible and enlightening, inviting readers into her world; they leave forever changed.
Clodagh N, Reviewer
I loved Linguaphile! It’s beautifully written and a fascinating look into language and how we acquire it, interpret it, and use it - whether written, spoken, or signed. It made me reflect on my own relationship with language, particularly as a bilingual person who used one language at home and another in school from a young age.
Throughout the book, the author also addresses links between language and social norms; for instance, how men and women are perceived as speakers when using the same linguistic signals, and how communication styles and interpretation can differ around the world. In doing so, she includes many different insights and perspectives from various cultures, age groups, and genders as well as the use of signed languages and Protactile language.
Rather than being a solely academic text, Linguaphile is part-memoir. I feel that this personal aspect and outlook makes a book like this more accessible to a wide range of readers, who will be able to compare and contrast with their own life experiences of, and relationships with, language. For those who want to dive deeper into the world of linguistics, there is a comprehensive list of sources in the Notes section at the end of the book.
I think this is a book I’ll be returning to, and it’s certainly one I would be happy to recommend to anyone with an interest in languages and communication!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. All views are my own.
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