{"product_id":"the-babel-message-a-love-letter-to-language-9781785788956","title":"The Babel Message: A Love Letter to Language","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Quite simply, and quite ridiculously, one of the funniest and most illuminating books I have ever read. I thought I was obsessive, but Keith Kahn-Harris is playing a very different sport. He really has discovered the whole world in an egg.\" --Simon Garfield\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'There is a delicious humor implicit in every page . . . \" -- Mark Forsyth, \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA thrilling journey deep into the heart of language, from a rather unexpected starting point.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKeith Kahn-Harris is a man obsessed with something seemingly trivial - the warning message found inside Kinder Surprise eggs: \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"WARNING, read and keep: Toy not suitable for children under 3 years. Small parts might be swallowed or inhaled.\"\u003c\/p\u003eOn a tiny sheet of paper, this message is translated into dozens of languages - the world boiled down to a multilingual essence. Inspired by this, the author asks: what makes 'a language'? With the help of the international community of language geeks, he shows us what the message looks like in Ancient Sumerian, Zulu, Cornish, Klingon - and many more. Along the way he considers why Hungarian writing looks angry, how to make up your own language, and the meaning of the heavy metal umlaut.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOverturning the Babel myth, he argues that the messy diversity of language shouldn't be a source of conflict, but of collective wonder. This is a book about hope, a love letter to language.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"This is a wonderful book. A treasure trove of mind-expanding insights into language and humanity encased in a deliciously quirky, quixotic quest. I loved it. Warning: this will keep you reading.\" -- Ann Morgan, author of\u003ci\u003e Reading the World: Confessions of a Literary Explorer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKEITH KAHN-HARRIS \u003c\/b\u003eis a sociologist and writer. He combines freelance writing with an academic teaching and research career. \u003ci\u003eThe Babel Message\u003c\/i\u003e is his seventh book. His website is kahn-harris.org. He lives in London.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Icon Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50388479279378,"sku":"9781785788956","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_39892f75-3053-4964-8d75-8950824c250d.jpg?v=1728900927","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-babel-message-a-love-letter-to-language-9781785788956","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}