Language History

We all learn at least one language as children. But what does it take to learn six languages...or seventy? In Babel No More, Michael Erard, "a monolingual with benefits," sets out on a quest to meet language superlearners and make sense of their mental powers. On the way he uncovers the secrets of historical figures like Italian cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who was said to speak seventy-two languages; Emil Krebs, a pugnacious German diplomat, who spoke sixty-eight languages; and Lomb Kat, a Hungarian who taught herself Russian by reading Russian romance novels.

The tigers of Chowghad were a man-eating Bengal tigress and her sub-adult cub, which for over a five-year period killed a reported 64 people in eastern Kumaon over an area spanning 1,500 square miles (3,900 square km). The tigress was attacking humans initially alone, but later she was assisted by her sub-adult cub. This is a story of a terrible man-eating tigress who had maximum number of preys on her name.

Why do Internet, financial service, and beer commercials dominate Super Bowl advertising? How do political ceremonies establish authority? Why does repetition characterize anthems and ritual speech? Why were circular forms favored for public festivals during the French Revolution? This book answers these questions using a single concept: common knowledge.

All food has a story, reaching as far back into history as language itself. As languages followed and reflected the tides of civilizations, food language came to represent some of the highs and lows of how humans communicate: from the highbrow 'Chateauneuf du Pape: (the Pope's new castle)' to the 'nun's farts' of Jamaica (also known as 'beignets'). Chock full of food puns, linguistic did-you-knows and delectable trivia, this is the surprising and hilarious history of food, told through the lens of the fascinating evolution of language.

Reason has done much of the heavy lifting throughout history. In this second volume, this book presents quotations from many of history's key figures who both recognize the importance—and also the limitations—of reason.

High on a cliff in Hawaii in 1807, an irrepressibly curious native boy dives into the sea and swims to an American merchant ship anchored offshore, embarking on an extraordinary adventure that will change history.

Words to Eat By explores the remarkable stories behind five of our most basic food words, words which reveal fascinating aspects of the evolution of the English language and our powerful associations with certain foods. Using sources that vary from Roman histories and early translations of the Bible to Julia Child's recipes and Frank Bruni's restaurant reviews, Ina Lipkowitz shows how saturated with French and Italian names the English culinary vocabulary is, "from a la carte to zabaglione."

In Stop Being Reasonable, philosopher and journalist Eleanor Gordon-Smith tells six lucid, gripping stories that show the limits of human reason. From the woman who realised her husband harboured a terrible secret, to the man who left the cult he had been raised in since birth, and the British reality TV contestant who, having impersonated someone else for a month, discovered he could no longer return to his former identity, all of the people interviewed radically altered their beliefs about the things that matter most.

El Arte de la Guerra es el mejor libro de estrategia de todos los tiempos. Inspiró a Napoleón, Maquiavelo, Mao Tse Tung, y muchas más figuras históricas. Este libro de dos mil quinientos años de antigüedad es uno de los más importantes textos clásicos Chinos, en el que, a pesar del tiempo transcurrido, ninguna de sus máximas ha quedado anticuada, ni hay un solo consejo que hoy no sea útil. Pero la obra del general Sun-tzu no es únicamente un libro de práctica militar....

Es el tratado sobre estrategia más famoso del mundo, que se ha convertido en un libro de culto en el ámbito de la empresa. Varias películas ambientadas en Wall Street han contribuido a popularizar este pequeño libro, que nos propone unos principios válidos tanto en el mundo de la estrategia militar como en el de los negocios o la política. A pesar de su antigüedad, se trata de un libro extremadamente moderno, que ayudará a reflexionar sobre cualquier tipo de problema.

Perhaps no novelist has meant more to contemporary fiction than Toni Morrison. And in addition to being a Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Morrison spent 17 years as the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities at Princeton University, teaching courses in African American studies, creative writing, and American literature.

This audiobook begins with an account of the birth of John and of Jesus, the last representatives of prophecy in the house of Israel. The claim that Jesus is the son of God is firmly denied, as is the assertion of the pagans of Mecca that the angels are God’s daughters. It then mentions the missions of some earlier prophets, showing that only human beings are raised to reform the world. Consisting of 93 verses, this is one of the early Meccan chapters.

"The Story of Peter Pan", by James M. Barrie, is one of the most famous tales about youth and dream-like adventures; this classic adaptation of Barrie's play will let you fly on the wings of your imagination. "The History of Tom Thumb" was the first fairy tale ever printed in English. "The Three Sillies" is a very old folktale, and has been handed down over the centuries for its entertainment value. "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is a classic folktale of which numerous versions are known; they all delight and educate children about the importance of boundaries and personal property. Last but not least, "Jack the Giant Killer" is a fascinating folk tale coming from the Middle Ages, set during King Arthur's reign; it shows how a young man uses clever tricks to outwit terrible giants and rid England of their terrible threats.

Readers will discover the rich history of the written language, printing, books, the alphabet, and the library. The written word is essential to modern civilization. The invention of the printing press was a major advance in the history of language, making possible the mass production of books and dissemination of knowledge.

The book, "Understanding AI: Machine Learning, NLP, and GPT, From Origins to Industry Disruption", takes readers on a comprehensive journey through the history, development, and applications of conversational artificial intelligence (AI). The book begins by discussing the early pioneers of AI, including Alan Turing and John von Neumann, and their contributions to the field. The first few chapters provide a detailed overview of the key AI techniques and architectures, including expert systems, natural language processing, and neural networks, that paved the way for developing Chatbots like ...

You should have experienced situations when people do not understand you when you are in a foreign country. Especially when you are ordering food, you probably want to go to the kitchen and instruct on how to cook or even cook for yourself. This happens even more when you are asking for direction. People give you a random answer and try to get over it.

Ruben Soto gives us an insightful and informative history of the leading Spanish-language television network in the United States. This book will show you how Univision changed American television from an all English-format to one that includes Spanish. You will also hear how Univision convinced advertisers that Hispanics had huge purchasing power.

La chanteuse et comédienne Morgan Touzé présente cinq pièces immersives 3D réalisées par son mari, le poète et pionnier du son binaural, Pascal Rueff. "Mon mari aime bien que j'incarne moi-même les personnages quand je voyage dans ses espaces-temps." dit-elle. Venez y plonger avec elle ! Ces voyages sonores, à écouter au casque, visitent vingt ans de prise de son 3D, du sud de la Crète à Tchernobyl.

A history and examination of cursing, swearing, whatever you want to effing call it! Is it useful? Is it effective?

Along with Egypt, the cultural and geographic region known as Mesopotamia was home to some of the world’s earliest civilizations and also the first known form of writing, cuneiform. Many different ethnic groups vied for power in ancient Mesopotamia over the course of antiquity--spanning about 3,000 years--and many of them spoke different languages. Despite these differences, the people in Mesopotamia shared many cultural attributes including similar religious practices, a common art and architecture style, and a shared use of the cuneiform script.