--- product_id: 6987901 title: "The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language ― A Witty Linguistics Book on How Thousands of Tongues Evolved from One Source" price: "103.30 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/6987901-the-power-of-babel-a-natural-history-of-language-witty store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language ― A Witty Linguistics Book on How Thousands of Tongues Evolved from One Source **Price:** 103.30 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language ― A Witty Linguistics Book on How Thousands of Tongues Evolved from One Source - **How much does it cost?** 103.30 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/6987901-the-power-of-babel-a-natural-history-of-language-witty) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description “An essay in origins … as theoretical as Hawking and Gorst in trying to see into the deep past. McWhorter is a clear and witty writer.”— Harper’s In the first book written for the layperson about the natural history of language, linguistic professor John McWhorter ranges across linguistic theory, geography, history, and pop culture to tell the fascinating story of how thousands of very different languages have evolved from a single, original source in a natural process similar to biological evolution. There are approximately six thousand languages on Earth today, each a descendant of the tongue first spoken by Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago. While laying out how languages mix and mutate over time, linguistics professor John McWhorter reminds us of the variety within the species that speaks them, and argues that, contrary to popular perception, language is not immutable and hidebound, but a living, dynamic entity that adapts itself to an ever-changing human environment. Full of humor and imaginative insight, The Power of Babel draws its illustrative examples from languages around the world, including pidgins, Creoles, and nonstandard dialects. Review: He confirms many of my beliefs about language! - I really loved this book, and am dismayed by those who decry it. Come on! McWhorter's writing is excellent and challenging. What do some people expect? Sentences that are three words long? I liked his ideas, I liked his exposition, I liked his cute little anecdotes, side-stories, and witty observations. I even loved his chapter titles and subtitles. He confirms what I've long suspected, that a lot of this "garbage" (which he calls "dammits") that we have to learn in many language such as Latin and German are mere bells and whistles, senseless accretions that do not help communication. McWhorter's use of creoles and pidgins to make his points, all the way up to the very end with his speculations on the very first language, were thrilling! I learned so much that I never got elsewhere. Moreover, McWhorter doesn't rely on English too much, though he doesn't completely ignore it, either. It is fun to be challenged to go outside of our own language, even outside the Indo-European family, in order to learn linguistic points. Bravo! Now I must say that I found one interesting mistake. On page 186 he gives the gender of the German eating utensils incorrectly. It is "die Gabel," "der Loeffel," not the other way around. Much later he gets Gabel correct (p. 229). No big deal. In fact, I thought maybe he was trying to make a point of the mistake by saying, "See how senseless genders really are?" Oh well. I didn't find any other mistakes though I only know Indo-European stuff, and have no clue about Native American languages or Chinese or elsewhere. But this was a fabulous book that I intend to read again and maybe a third time. Thank you, Professor McWhorter!!! Review: One of the best sources for language histroy - John McWhorter's THE POWER OF BABEL is certainly one of the most comprehensive -- and one of the most comprehensible -- histories of human language which I have ever encountered. McWhorter has mastered a large number of foreign languages, and has studied and written about all aspects of linguistics, and he brings all of this knowledge to bear upon this masterpiece of linguistics. I enthusiastically recommend this book to all students of linguistics, no matter at what level, as well as to professionals in the field of language. In addition, I recommend this book to anyone, professional or layman, who is curious about how language works and about where human language originated. The book is an absolute bargain, and one of the best buys on desertcart.com. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #93,279 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #50 in Etymology (Books) #58 in Historical Geography #78 in Scientific Reference | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 633 Reviews | ## Images ![The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language ― A Witty Linguistics Book on How Thousands of Tongues Evolved from One Source - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71wH8j1VVKL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ He confirms many of my beliefs about language! *by M***R on May 27, 2002* I really loved this book, and am dismayed by those who decry it. Come on! McWhorter's writing is excellent and challenging. What do some people expect? Sentences that are three words long? I liked his ideas, I liked his exposition, I liked his cute little anecdotes, side-stories, and witty observations. I even loved his chapter titles and subtitles. He confirms what I've long suspected, that a lot of this "garbage" (which he calls "dammits") that we have to learn in many language such as Latin and German are mere bells and whistles, senseless accretions that do not help communication. McWhorter's use of creoles and pidgins to make his points, all the way up to the very end with his speculations on the very first language, were thrilling! I learned so much that I never got elsewhere. Moreover, McWhorter doesn't rely on English too much, though he doesn't completely ignore it, either. It is fun to be challenged to go outside of our own language, even outside the Indo-European family, in order to learn linguistic points. Bravo! Now I must say that I found one interesting mistake. On page 186 he gives the gender of the German eating utensils incorrectly. It is "die Gabel," "der Loeffel," not the other way around. Much later he gets Gabel correct (p. 229). No big deal. In fact, I thought maybe he was trying to make a point of the mistake by saying, "See how senseless genders really are?" Oh well. I didn't find any other mistakes though I only know Indo-European stuff, and have no clue about Native American languages or Chinese or elsewhere. But this was a fabulous book that I intend to read again and maybe a third time. Thank you, Professor McWhorter!!! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the best sources for language histroy *by R***A on July 21, 2012* John McWhorter's THE POWER OF BABEL is certainly one of the most comprehensive -- and one of the most comprehensible -- histories of human language which I have ever encountered. McWhorter has mastered a large number of foreign languages, and has studied and written about all aspects of linguistics, and he brings all of this knowledge to bear upon this masterpiece of linguistics. I enthusiastically recommend this book to all students of linguistics, no matter at what level, as well as to professionals in the field of language. In addition, I recommend this book to anyone, professional or layman, who is curious about how language works and about where human language originated. The book is an absolute bargain, and one of the best buys on amazon.com. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Language as Form of Life *by J***K on July 5, 2002* McWhorter's central thesis is that the evolution of language is similar to the evolution of life. Languages, like plants and animals, appear static over short time periods but change dramatically over long ones. From this thesis he draws several conclusions by analogy: that there is no "correct" dialect of a language, that linguistic biodiversity is important, and so on. I accept the evolutionary model of language, but I disagree with many of McWhorter's conclusions. Evolution requires two things to drive it: chance mutations and selective pressure. Chance mutations were frequent in ancient times because communication was largely oral. Writing greatly slowed the rate of mutation, however, and global communication is slowing it further. We no longer live in isolated villages where speciation can take place undisturbed. Selective pressures have changed dramatically as well: I would argue that the most significant selective force operating on written works today is Google. That which is not found is not read, and therefore dies. So how do you make your works more findable? By using standard keywords, standard phrasing, and correct spelling, in English. ...Stylistically, the book's biggest flaw is its repetitiveness. The analogy between linguistic and biological evolution is a good one, but it is also largely self-evident. The author tries too hard to convince, apparently failing to realize that if we're on page 20, we must have accepted the first 19 pages to some degree. The book is full of interesting anecdotes and variously humorous pop-culture references. (There are enough inside jokes about TV sitcoms that you wonder how the guy found time to write.) The most interesting examples, to me, were the ones that showed how differently a concept can be expressed in different languages... One other quibble I have is organizational: there isn't much of a narrative here, more a collection of examples. Each one is interesting in its own right, but the author never seems to bring it home. I kept waiting for him to start putting the pieces together and telling a story. It never happened. Despite these complaints, the fact remains that I did finish the book, I did enjoy reading it, and I came away with a greater appreciation of the true diversity of language. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language - Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English - Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/6987901-the-power-of-babel-a-natural-history-of-language-witty](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/6987901-the-power-of-babel-a-natural-history-of-language-witty) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-08-23*