The last lingua franca : the rise and fall of world languages / Nicholas Ostler.
By: Ostler, Nicholas
.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: London : Penguin, 2011, c2010Description: xx, 330 p. : ill., maps ; 20 cm.ISBN: 9781846142161; 1846142164.Subject(s): English language -- Globalization | Communication, International | Languages | Language: history & general works | Society & social sciences | Linguistics | LanguageDDC classification: 420.9 OST Summary: Nicholas Ostler challenges our assumption that English will continue to dominate as the global lingua franca. Drawing on his encyclopaedic knowledge of world languages and their history, Ostler reveals that just as past great languages like Latin and Sanskrit have died out, so English will follow.
| Item type | Current library | Call number | Status | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lending | MTU Kerry North Campus Library First Floor Main | 420.9 OST (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | Available | 38888000733331 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
In the twenty-first century, can we really take the dominance of English for granted?
In their time, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian have each been world languages, sweeping the globe for centuries at a time. And yet they have all been displaced, just as Nicholas Ostler predicts English will be. What forces drive these linguistic currents? What characteristics do lingua francas share? And most importantly, how do they lose their power?
In this revelatory and exhilarating tour de force, Ostler explores the rise of a linguistic diversity that we could never before have imagined.
Originally published: New York: Walker ; London : Allen Lane, 2010.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Nicholas Ostler challenges our assumption that English will continue to dominate as the global lingua franca. Drawing on his encyclopaedic knowledge of world languages and their history, Ostler reveals that just as past great languages like Latin and Sanskrit have died out, so English will follow.