The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of EnglishAn exhilarating exploration of how the world's languages are likely to transform and be transformed by their speakers Mark Abley, author of Spoken Here, takes the reader on a global journey like no other--from Singapore to Tokyo, from Oxford to Los Angeles, through the Internet and back in time. As much a travel book as a tour of words at play, The Prodigal Tongue goes beyond grammar and vocabulary to discover how language is irrevocably changing the people of the world in far-reaching ways. |
Contents
The Power of Language Change | 1 |
How Words Are Created and Organized | 25 |
Asian English | 54 |
Global English | 78 |
Language in Japan | 101 |
Languages in Los Angeles | 122 |
Black English and HipHop | 144 |