Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World

Empires of the Word by Nicholas Ostler is a groundbreaking history of the world's great tongues, celebrating the wonder of words that binds communities together and makes possible both the living of a common history and the telling of it.

This epic achievement explores fascinating failures of once "universal" languages and how the language history of the world eloquently reveals the real character of our planet's diverse peoples, preparing us for a linguistic future full of surprises.

With a giddying depth of scholarship, Ostler furnishes many fresh insights and useful historical perspectives that will captivate readers and inspire them to explore the richness of language.