{"product_id":"9781846142161-last-lingua-franca-the","title":"The Last Lingua Franca","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Rise and Fall of World Languages\u003cbr\u003eIn 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. This title explores the rise of a linguistic diversity we could never before have imagined.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA revelatory and exhilarating tour de force, Nicholas Ostler's \u003ci\u003eThe Last Lingua Franca: The Rise and Fall of World Languages\u003c\/i\u003e explores the rise of a linguistic diversity we could never before have imagined.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  In the twenty-first century, can we really take the dominance of English for granted?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  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?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  'Frequently jaw-dropping and never less than convincing'\u003cbr\u003e  Henry Hitchings, \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  'Sweepingly learned and engagingly garrulous'\u003cbr\u003e  \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  'A much-needed challenge to conventional wisdom'\u003cbr\u003e  \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  A linguist of astonishing voracity . the predictions are striking'\u003cbr\u003e  \u003ci\u003eEconomist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003eNicholas Ostler \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of \u003ci\u003eEmpires of the Word: A Language History of the World \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eAd Infinitum: A Biography of Latin\u003c\/i\u003e. He studied Greek, Latin and Philosophy at the University of Oxford and holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from MIT. With a working knowledge of twenty-six languages, Nicholas now runs an institute for the protection of endangered languages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":30347213733985,"sku":"9781846142161","price":16.61,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_32391939.jpg?v=1737218701","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781846142161-last-lingua-franca-the","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}