Rare Tongues: The Secret Stories of Hidden Languages

(Hardback, Main)

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Rare Tongues is an enthralling tour around the rarest languages in the world, bringing a different eye to an often Anglocentric topic. It explores how globally, language and culture are becoming increasingly homogenous - with a resulting loss of different viewpoints and ways of living.

In Rare Tongues, linguist and writer Lorna Gibb explores the history of these languages, the cultures they belong to, the tales they tell, while offering a glimpse into what we can learn from each of them. From Australia to India, the Canary Islands, Namibia, United States, Scotland, Paraguay and beyond, the book will guide the reader through the stories of languages under threat and languages in resurgence. The different systems of whistles, clicks, vowels, consonants and tones that make up these languages carry important information about our planet, about medicine, about indigenous culture and tradition, even the history of all of mankind.

At once entertaining and informative, Lorna Gibb makes a compelling case for the preservation of the rich linguistic diversity of our world, and expertly shows why it matters for us all.

Author Bio

Lorna Gibb was born and grew up in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire. She has a PhD in Linguistics from Edinburgh as well as a BA and MA from the University of London. She's currently an Associate Professor at the University of Stirling but has worked at universities in London, Hertfordshire, Essex, Qatar, Monaco and France. Before going to University, Lorna worked as a professional dancer in Italy and the UK. She also worked in the City of London as an IT programme manager and consultant, for several years, and as a journalist. Together, with her husband Alan, she's lived and worked in Qatar, Spain, Italy and the UK, and before she was married, she lived in Austria and the Netherlands for a few months, as well as Paris and Helsinki for a year. She is childless and has written about the reasons for this in a recent book (Childless Voices, Granta). Lorna has four cats, a Bengal, a rescue Khau Manee and two adoptees from Dubai.