{"product_id":"babel-no-more-the-search-for-the-worlds-most-extraordinary-language-learners-9781451628265","title":"Babel No More: The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"fascinating\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e) dive into the world of linguistics that is \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"part travelogue, part science lesson, part intellectual investigation...an entertaining, informative survey of some of the most fascinating polyglots of our time\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eBabel No More\u003c\/i\u003e, 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 the nineteenth-century Italian cardinal Joseph Mezzofanti, who was said to speak seventy-two languages, as well as those of living language-superlearners such as Alexander Arguelles, a modern-day polyglot who knows dozens of languages and shows Erard the tricks of the trade to give him a dark glimpse into the life of obsessive language acquisition. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith his ambitious examination of what language is, where it lives in the brain, and the cultural implications of polyglots' pursuits, Erard explores the upper limits of our ability to learn and use languages and illuminates the intellectual potential in everyone. How do some people escape the curse of Babel--and what might the gods have demanded of them in return?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Free Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/02\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781451628265\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 306\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.50w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/28\/2012 pg. 24\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Michael Erard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36651370250396,"sku":"9781451628265","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_3ef772d9-af6f-40cc-9074-d76a6f30ca7b.jpg?v=1603877503","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/babel-no-more-the-search-for-the-worlds-most-extraordinary-language-learners-9781451628265","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}