[Lingtyp] popular non-generative book

[Dingemanse, Mark]

For a well-written popular book on the language sciences in all their breadth, look no further than Nick Evans' 2010 "Dying Words: Endangered Languages and What They Have to Tell Us".


Misleadingly titled, it is not primarily about endangered languages nor about last words. Instead, it is a riveting tour through the language sciences and neighbouring areas, from syntax to social cognition, from documentary linguistics to deep world history, and from the history of writing to verbal art, with sprinkles of psycholinguistics, anthropology, musicology and more. I've honestly never read a book about language that was as engaging, erudite and interesting.


Evans, N. (2010). Dying Words: Endangered Languages and What They Have to Tell Us. Chichester, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell.

P.S. I'm not a fan of non-labels like "non-generative" and of overly dichotomising approaches to linguistics in general. I think Nick Evans' book captures very well the kind of excitement about the intricacies of human language that unites linguists of all stripes.

Best,


Mark
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