Rakuten Kobo

Words and Rules

The Ingredients Of Language

by Steven Pinker ...

**An "excellent work of popular science" (New Republic) by a New York Times-bestselling author that unites history and science to reveal how the mind does languageIn Words and Rules, Steven Pinker explores profound mysteries of language by picking a deceptively simple phenomenon -- regular and irregular verbs -- and examining it from every angle. With humor and verve, he covers an astonishing ... Read more

Was $12.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

**An "excellent work of popular science" (New Republic) by a New York Times-bestselling author that unites history and science to reveal how the mind does languageIn Words and Rules, Steven Pinker explores profound mysteries of language by picking a deceptively simple phenomenon -- regular and irregular verbs -- and examining it from every angle. With humor and verve, he covers an astonishing
... Read more
How Language Works

How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die

by David Crystal ...

Steven Pinker meets Bill Bryson in this landmark exploration of language.In the author's own words, "How Language Works is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex-or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as David Crystal makes clear in this work of unprecedented scope, language is ... Read more

$4.99 USD

Steven Pinker meets Bill Bryson in this landmark exploration of language.In the author's own words, "How Language Works is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex-or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as David Crystal makes clear in this work of unprecedented scope, language is
... Read more
Enough Is Enuf

Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell

by Gabe Henry ...

A brief and humorous 500-year history of the Simplified Spelling Movement from advocates like Ben Franklin, C. S. Lewis, and Mark Twain to texts and Twitter.Why does the G in George sound different from the G in gorge? Why does C begin both case and cease? And why is it funny when a philologist faints, but not polight to laf about it? Anyone who has ever had the misfortune to write in English has, ... Read more

$9.99 USD

A brief and humorous 500-year history of the Simplified Spelling Movement from advocates like Ben Franklin, C. S. Lewis, and Mark Twain to texts and Twitter.Why does the G in George sound different from the G in gorge? Why does C begin both case and cease? And why is it funny when a philologist faints, but not polight to laf about it? Anyone who has ever had the misfortune to write in English has,
... Read more
How to Kill a Language

Power, Resistance, and the Race to Save Our Words

by Sophia Smith Galer ...

An urgent, globe-spanning exploration of languages at risk, from Kichwa to Ukrainian, that asks: What do we lose—culturally, politically, and personally—when a language is silenced?“Fascinating . . . Galer casts a bright light on the massive linguistic diversity that the world seems set to lose.”—John McWhorter, The New York TimesLanguages can be killed in many ways: war, the climate crisis, ... Read more

$13.99 USD

An urgent, globe-spanning exploration of languages at risk, from Kichwa to Ukrainian, that asks: What do we lose—culturally, politically, and personally—when a language is silenced?“Fascinating . . . Galer casts a bright light on the massive linguistic diversity that the world seems set to lose.”—John McWhorter, The New York TimesLanguages can be killed in many ways: war, the climate crisis,
... Read more
Fluent Forever (Revised Edition)

How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It

by Gabriel Wyner ...

The bestselling guide to learning a new language and remembering what you learned, now revised and updated“A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide . . . If you want a new language to stick, start here.”—Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar ZeroGabriel Wyner speaks seven foreign languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he ... Read more

$12.99 USD

The bestselling guide to learning a new language and remembering what you learned, now revised and updated“A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide . . . If you want a new language to stick, start here.”—Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar ZeroGabriel Wyner speaks seven foreign languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he
... Read more
El bilingüismo en el mundo hispanohablante

by Silvina Montrul ...

Esta amplia introducción al bilingüismo en español abarca los contextos sociales, políticos y culturales del español en EEUU, España y Hispanoamérica. Escrito para estudiantes no nativos de español, es el primer libro de texto de estas características para los estudiantes de lingüística hispánica.Este libro de texto en español presenta los temas fundamentales en el estudio del bilingüismo a ... Read more

$49.00 USD

Esta amplia introducción al bilingüismo en español abarca los contextos sociales, políticos y culturales del español en EEUU, España y Hispanoamérica. Escrito para estudiantes no nativos de español, es el primer libro de texto de estas características para los estudiantes de lingüística hispánica.Este libro de texto en español presenta los temas fundamentales en el estudio del bilingüismo a
... Read more
Distributed Agency

Edited by N. J. Enfield, Paul Kockelman ...

Series series Foundations of Human Interaction
Distributed Agency presents an interdisciplinary inroad into the latest thinking about the distributed nature of agency: what it's like, what are its conditions of possibility, and what are its consequences. The book's 25 chapters are written by a wide range of scholars, from anthropology, biology, cognitive science, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, geography, law, economics, and sociology. ... Read more

$44.09 USD

Distributed Agency presents an interdisciplinary inroad into the latest thinking about the distributed nature of agency: what it's like, what are its conditions of possibility, and what are its consequences. The book's 25 chapters are written by a wide range of scholars, from anthropology, biology, cognitive science, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, geography, law, economics, and sociology.
... Read more
The Code Book

The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography

by Simon Singh ...

In his first book since the bestselling Fermat's Enigma, Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption, tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars, nations, and individual lives. From Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II, to the incredible (and incredibly simple) ... Read more

$9.99 USD

In his first book since the bestselling Fermat's Enigma, Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption, tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars, nations, and individual lives. From Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II, to the incredible (and incredibly simple)
... Read more
The Etymologicon

A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

by Mark Forsyth ...

This perfect gift for readers, writers, and literature majors alike unearths the quirks of the English language. For example,do you know why a mortgage is literally a “death pledge”? Why guns have girls’ names? Why “salt” is related to “soldier”? Discover the answers to all of these etymological questions and more in this fascinating book for fans of of Eats, Shoots & Leaves.The Etymologicon is a ... Read more

$12.99 USD

This perfect gift for readers, writers, and literature majors alike unearths the quirks of the English language. For example,do you know why a mortgage is literally a “death pledge”? Why guns have girls’ names? Why “salt” is related to “soldier”? Discover the answers to all of these etymological questions and more in this fascinating book for fans of of Eats, Shoots & Leaves.The Etymologicon is a
... Read more
Algospeak

How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language

by Adam Aleksic ...

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From linguist Adam Aleksic, known as @etymologynerd on social media, comes a captivating exploration of how internet algorithms are transforming language and communication in unprecedented ways.“Packed with fascinating facts, of-the-moment observations, and a sparkling voice, Algospeak is a gift to any word nerd. Deftly covering everything from emoji etymologies and ... Read more

$13.99 USD

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From linguist Adam Aleksic, known as @etymologynerd on social media, comes a captivating exploration of how internet algorithms are transforming language and communication in unprecedented ways.“Packed with fascinating facts, of-the-moment observations, and a sparkling voice, Algospeak is a gift to any word nerd. Deftly covering everything from emoji etymologies and
... Read more
Garner's Modern English Usage

by Bryan Garner ...

With more than a thousand new entries and more than 2,300 word-frequency ratios, the magisterial fourth edition of this book-now renamed Garner's Modern English Usage (GMEU)-reflects usage lexicography at its finest. Garner explains the nuances of grammar and vocabulary with thoroughness, finesse, and wit. He discourages whatever is slovenly, pretentious, or pedantic. GMEU is the liveliest and ... Read more

$32.99 USD

With more than a thousand new entries and more than 2,300 word-frequency ratios, the magisterial fourth edition of this book-now renamed Garner's Modern English Usage (GMEU)-reflects usage lexicography at its finest. Garner explains the nuances of grammar and vocabulary with thoroughness, finesse, and wit. He discourages whatever is slovenly, pretentious, or pedantic. GMEU is the liveliest and
... Read more
《云龙白曲残本》文字整理与研究

by 韦韧 ...

方块白文是古代白族在长期使用汉语文的过程中，仿照汉字创制的一种民族文字，是一种既借用汉字又自造拼合字的意音文字。本书以目前已释读方块白文文献中自造拼合字数量最多的《云龙白曲残本》为基本研究材料，采用“结构-功能”分析法和现代系统论，利用Oracle Database数据库，运用语料库语言学知识，对研究材料《云龙白曲残本》进行数字化处理，并构建方块白文数据库系统，详细描写了方块白文的文字属性，细致分析、考释了《云龙白曲残本》中记录的每一个方块白文。 ... Read more

$21.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

方块白文是古代白族在长期使用汉语文的过程中，仿照汉字创制的一种民族文字，是一种既借用汉字又自造拼合字的意音文字。本书以目前已释读方块白文文献中自造拼合字数量最多的《云龙白曲残本》为基本研究材料，采用“结构-功能”分析法和现代系统论，利用Oracle Database数据库，运用语料库语言学知识，对研究材料《云龙白曲残本》进行数字化处理，并构建方块白文数据库系统，详细描写了方块白文的文字属性，细致分析、考释了《云龙白曲残本》中记录的每一个方块白文。
... Read more
The Lexicographer's Dilemma

The Evolution of 'Proper' English, from Shakespeare to South Park

by Jack Lynch ...

In its long history, the English language has had many lawmakers--those who have tried to regulate or otherwise organize the way we speak. Proper Words in Proper Places offers the first narrative history of these endeavors and shows clearly that what we now regard as the only "correct" way to speak emerged out of specific historical and social conditions over the course of centuries. As historian ... Read more

$11.99 USD

In its long history, the English language has had many lawmakers--those who have tried to regulate or otherwise organize the way we speak. Proper Words in Proper Places offers the first narrative history of these endeavors and shows clearly that what we now regard as the only "correct" way to speak emerged out of specific historical and social conditions over the course of centuries. As historian
... Read more
The Social Origins of Language

by Robert Seyfarth, Dorothy Cheney ...

Series series Duke Institute for Brain Sciences Series
How human language evolved from the need for social communicationThe origins of human language remain hotly debated. Despite growing appreciation of cognitive and neural continuity between humans and other animals, an evolutionary account of human language—in its modern form—remains as elusive as ever. The Social Origins of Language provides a novel perspective on this question and charts a new ... Read more

$31.69 USD

How human language evolved from the need for social communicationThe origins of human language remain hotly debated. Despite growing appreciation of cognitive and neural continuity between humans and other animals, an evolutionary account of human language—in its modern form—remains as elusive as ever. The Social Origins of Language provides a novel perspective on this question and charts a new
... Read more
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus

The Most Powerful Ways to Say Everyday Words and Phrases

by Tom Heehler ...

The Well-Spoken Thesaurus is designed to help you improve your communication skills by expanding your vocabulary.The book includes over 200 words, arranged in easy-to-use categories, such as "positive emotions," "negative emotions," "intellectual terms," and "descriptive terms." Each entry includes a definition, synonyms, antonyms, and usage examples.The Well-Spoken Thesaurus is particularly ... Read more

$13.69 USD

The Well-Spoken Thesaurus is designed to help you improve your communication skills by expanding your vocabulary.The book includes over 200 words, arranged in easy-to-use categories, such as "positive emotions," "negative emotions," "intellectual terms," and "descriptive terms." Each entry includes a definition, synonyms, antonyms, and usage examples.The Well-Spoken Thesaurus is particularly
... Read more
The Spell of the Sensuous

Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World

by David Abram ...

Winner of the International Lannan Literary Award for NonfictionAnimal tracks, word magic, the speech of stones, the power of letters, and the taste of the wind all figure prominently in this intellectual tour de force that returns us to our senses and to the sensuous terrain that sustains us. This major work of ecological philosophy startles the senses out of habitual ways of perception.For a ... Read more

$11.99 USD

Winner of the International Lannan Literary Award for NonfictionAnimal tracks, word magic, the speech of stones, the power of letters, and the taste of the wind all figure prominently in this intellectual tour de force that returns us to our senses and to the sensuous terrain that sustains us. This major work of ecological philosophy startles the senses out of habitual ways of perception.For a
... Read more
How the World Works

by Noam Chomsky, David Barsamian ...

An eye-opening introduction to the timelessly relevant ideas of Noam Chomsky, "arguably the most important intellectual alive" (The New York Times), this book is a penetrating, illusion-shattering look at how things really workOffering something not found anywhere else, How the World Works is pure Chomsky, but tailored for those who are new to his work. The book is made up of meticulously edited ... Read more

$11.99 USD

An eye-opening introduction to the timelessly relevant ideas of Noam Chomsky, "arguably the most important intellectual alive" (The New York Times), this book is a penetrating, illusion-shattering look at how things really workOffering something not found anywhere else, How the World Works is pure Chomsky, but tailored for those who are new to his work. The book is made up of meticulously edited
... Read more
The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate

by Eugene Ehrlich ...

Series series Highly Selective Reference
The correct spellings, pronunciations, and definitions for interesting words that make life rewarding for readers, writers, and public speakers.With advancing technology, spontaneous-talk media has skyrocketed. People are interacting more frequently and more fervently than ever before, turning the English language into an indecipherable mess. Now, this unique and concise compendium presents the ... Read more

$17.29 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

The correct spellings, pronunciations, and definitions for interesting words that make life rewarding for readers, writers, and public speakers.With advancing technology, spontaneous-talk media has skyrocketed. People are interacting more frequently and more fervently than ever before, turning the English language into an indecipherable mess. Now, this unique and concise compendium presents the
... Read more
Calling Bullshit

The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World

by Carl T. Bergstrom, Jevin D. West ...

Bullshit isn’t what it used to be. Now, two science professors give us the tools to dismantle misinformation and think clearly in a world of fake news and bad data.“A modern classic . . . a straight-talking survival guide to the mean streets of a dying democracy and a global pandemic.”—WiredMisinformation, disinformation, and fake news abound and it’s increasingly difficult to know what’s true. ... Read more

$4.99 USD

Bullshit isn’t what it used to be. Now, two science professors give us the tools to dismantle misinformation and think clearly in a world of fake news and bad data.“A modern classic . . . a straight-talking survival guide to the mean streets of a dying democracy and a global pandemic.”—WiredMisinformation, disinformation, and fake news abound and it’s increasingly difficult to know what’s true.
... Read more
The Language Instinct

How The Mind Creates Language

by Steven Pinker ...

"A brilliant, witty, and altogether satisfying book." — New York Times Book ReviewThe classic work on the development of human language by the world’s leading expert on language and the mindIn The Language Instinct, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain ... Read more

$10.99 USD

"A brilliant, witty, and altogether satisfying book." — New York Times Book ReviewThe classic work on the development of human language by the world’s leading expert on language and the mindIn The Language Instinct, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain
... Read more
Language Files

Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics, 13th Edition

by Department of Linguistics ...

Language Files has become one of the most widely adopted, consulted, and authoritative introductory textbooks to linguistics ever written. The scope of the text makes it suitable for use in a wide range of courses, while its unique organization into student-friendly, self-contained sections allows for tremendous flexibility in course design.The thirteenth edition has been revised, clarified, and ... Read more

$39.99 USD

Language Files has become one of the most widely adopted, consulted, and authoritative introductory textbooks to linguistics ever written. The scope of the text makes it suitable for use in a wide range of courses, while its unique organization into student-friendly, self-contained sections allows for tremendous flexibility in course design.The thirteenth edition has been revised, clarified, and
... Read more
Articulate

A Deaf Memoir of Voice

by Rachel Kolb ...

Named a best book of the year by Kirkus Reviews Named a Notable Book of 2025 by the Washington Post A deaf writer’s exploration of language, communication, and what it means to be articulate—and her journey to reclaim her voiceRachel Kolb was born profoundly deaf the same year that the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, and she grew up as part of the first generation of deaf people with ... Read more

$10.99 USD

Named a best book of the year by Kirkus Reviews Named a Notable Book of 2025 by the Washington Post A deaf writer’s exploration of language, communication, and what it means to be articulate—and her journey to reclaim her voiceRachel Kolb was born profoundly deaf the same year that the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, and she grew up as part of the first generation of deaf people with
... Read more
The Mother Tongue

English and How it Got that Way

by Bill Bryson ...

“Vastly informative and vastly entertaining…A scholarly and fascinating book.” —Los Angeles TimesWith dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language.From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can’t), to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson explores English ... Read more

Was $13.99 USD Now $11.99 USD

“Vastly informative and vastly entertaining…A scholarly and fascinating book.” —Los Angeles TimesWith dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language.From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can’t), to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson explores English
... Read more
Cultish

The Language of Fanaticism

by Amanda Montell ...

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“One of those life-changing reads that makes you see—or, in this case, hear—the whole world differently.” —Megan Angelo, author of Followers“At times chilling, often funny, and always perceptive and cogent, Cultish is a bracing reminder that the scariest thing about cults is that you don’t realize you’re in one till it’s too late.”—Refinery29.comThe New York Times ... Read more

$15.99 USD

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“One of those life-changing reads that makes you see—or, in this case, hear—the whole world differently.” —Megan Angelo, author of Followers“At times chilling, often funny, and always perceptive and cogent, Cultish is a bracing reminder that the scariest thing about cults is that you don’t realize you’re in one till it’s too late.”—Refinery29.comThe New York Times
... Read more

eReaders

Apps

Accessories

Shopping Cart

You're getting the VIP treatment!

Your Shopping Cart is empty

Available:

1 audiobook monthly

+ FREE 30-day trial

Available:

1 audiobook monthly

+ FREE 30-day trial

Recommended For You

Linguistics eBooks

Show: