In 20 Sprachen um die Welt

How could small Portugal produce a global language while Holland could not? Why do Japanese women speak differently than Japanese men? And how do non-alphabetic scripts work just as well as our 26 letters? In his fantastically written, highly entertaining book, Gaston Dorren portrays the greatest languages on the planet and explains what makes them so special.

Three-quarters of all people speak the 20 languages discussed in this book. But what sets them apart from the other 6,000 languages in the world? Gaston Dorren delves into their unusual stories, explains their origins, and their often violent rise. He deciphers their confusing variety of scripts, highlights the jewels and gaps in their vocabulary, elucidates their linguistic peculiarities, and conveys how the grammar of a language is connected to the worldview of its speakers. His book takes us on a unique journey around the world, bringing us closer to a large part of humanity.