Review: Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages

Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Chances are, no matter how much or little you enjoy languages, you will learn a lot from this book.

Having said that, the choice of the most popular languages leaves a feeling of inadequacy, in that too many languages are left by the wayside. Granted, the discussions on why these languages become widespread is interesting (ie the difference between Dutch and Portuguese), although more could have been said on that as well, and how the less widespread languages differ, etc.

My favorite quote: "The German Case System is in annoyingly good health"



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Review: Lingo: A Language Spotter's Guide to Europe

Lingo: A Language Spotter's Guide to Europe by Gaston Dorren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun book! A bit sporadic, but it was to be expected, covering a smattering of languages and cultures. It will be full of little tidbits you probably didn't know (Avalanche is the only English word we got from the Romansh language; gönnen is the German word for finding joy in another's success. We had a word for this in Old English, but have apparently stopped doing so; etc.)

Don't expect a treatise or any in-depth study. But if you want some interesting Trivia for European-related languages, this is a great book. 

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