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melindamckenzie's review against another edition
4.0
This book is very interesting as an audio, but I think the print version would be better for someone more interested in learning the technical aspects of each language covered.
ronronia's review against another edition
5.0
I totally and utterly and completely love this book. I'm not a linguist, so I don't know if it's maybe a bit basic for people more knowledgeable about the topic, but I've had lots of fun with this book and it's currently catalogued under my «I will read it again several times» category.
dlewisleipz's review against another edition
2.0
Short chapters of just a few pages highlight peculiarities and individual words of different languages. The book feels too anecdotal and fragmented to remember any content.
johgabcab's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
It's a whimsical tour of European languages, from the large French and Spanish to the small Luxembourgish and Ladino. It's chapter on the ''peaceful rise" of the German language was an enlightening history on German's profound impact on intellectual life in Europe. It's a worth while read.
bookwormmichelle's review against another edition
3.0
Well. This is the European Bus Tour version of covering European languages; you are all on a bus and every so often you are herded off the bus to spend 2.2 minutes staring at some beautiful thing and then you are rushed back onto the bus and the next thing, where you again spend 2.2 minutes. It's not that the info here is bad, exactly, it's that there is so little depth to it.
aschwartau's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting look at the quirks of specific languages. A unique and fun tour around Europe for sure. I just feel like it was lacking something. I don't think I'll be able to remember any of the fun facts or pages of info dispensed. So much of the information is presented without context. If you aren't familiar with a language or have any idea how words are pronounced, then learning about specific vocab isn't helpful. I think I would have enjoyed this more if at the beginning of each language chapter there was a quick introduction to the language (alphabet, basic pronunciation guide, basic info about syntax and verbs and grammar) before being thrust into the weird quirks and tricks.
czarnola's review against another edition
3.5
I wish Dorren had executed his plan in a less chaotic way, but, overall, the number of linguistic fun facts in this book satisfied me. It included history and geography lessons as well as tips to learn the Cyrillic alphabet and to distinguish European languages from each other. The author also attempted to dispel misconceptions about sign languages or the difficulty of French, however, I imagine that his main goal was to cover as many subjects as possible. As you might guess, it came out a bit disjointed and when some fact drew my attention, I had to look it up on the Internet, because in the book it was all treated very superficially. But still, I think every language enthusiast will find something to their liking here, so I recommend.
karl_kai's review against another edition
4.0
Informative and well-written, in small digestible sections. Great way to learn a lot about European languages during the space of your commute!
jonnybrick's review against another edition
4.0
Excellently written guide wearing research lightly. Very good on grammar and syntax and how various languages relate to each other. Might turn a non-linguist into a linguist by the end.