{"product_id":"the-babel-message-a-love-letter-to-language-9781785788956","title":"The Babel Message: A Love Letter to Language","description":"\u003cp\u003e  • Publisher: Icon Books\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Icon Books\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Alphabets \u0026amp; Writing Systems\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\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 \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'There is a delicious humour implicit in every page . . . [the book] is filled with a sense of wonder, gazing at languages that neither the writer nor reader understands . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Babel Message\u003c\/i\u003e was such fun that I even went out and bought a Kinder Surprise Egg.' - \u003ci\u003eMark Forsyth, The Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA thrilling journey deep into the heart of language, from a rather unexpected starting point.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKeith Kahn-Harris is a man obsessed with something seemingly trivial - the warning message found inside Kinder Surprise eggs: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWARNING, read and keep: Toy not suitable for children under 3 years. Small parts might be swallowed or inhaled. \u003cp\u003e\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\u003cb\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\u003eReading the World: Confessions of a Literary Explorer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Icon Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45035175968919,"sku":"9781785788956","price":972.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9781785788956.webp?v=1769211526","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/the-babel-message-a-love-letter-to-language-9781785788956","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}