Imaginary Languages: Myths, Utopias, Fantasies, Illusions, and Linguistic Fictions by Yaguello, Marina
Imaginary Languages: Myths, Utopias, Fantasies, Illusions, and Linguistic Fictions by Yaguello, Marina

Imaginary Languages: Myths, Utopias, Fantasies, Illusions, and Linguistic Fictions

An exploration of the practice of inventing languages, from speaking in tongues to utopian schemes of universality...
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
SKU: 9780262547154
Product Type: Books
Please hurry! Only 16 left in stock
Author: Marina Yaguello
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: BD$37.60
10 customers are viewing this product
Imaginary Languages: Myths, Utopias, Fantasies, Illusions, and Linguistic Fictions by Yaguello, Marina

Imaginary Languages: Myths, Utopias, Fantasies, Illusions, and Linguistic Fictions

BD$37.60
Imaginary Languages: Myths, Utopias, Fantasies, Illusions, and Linguistic Fictions by Yaguello, Marina

Imaginary Languages: Myths, Utopias, Fantasies, Illusions, and Linguistic Fictions

BD$37.60
Author: Marina Yaguello
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Description
An exploration of the practice of inventing languages, from speaking in tongues to utopian schemes of universality to the discoveries of modern linguistics.

In Imaginary Languages, Marina Yaguello explores the history and practice of inventing languages, from religious speaking in tongues to politically utopian schemes of universality to the discoveries of modern linguistics. She looks for imagined languages that are autonomous systems, complete unto themselves and meant for communal use; imaginary, and therefore unlike both natural languages and historically attested languages; and products of an individual effort to lay hold of language. Inventors of languages, Yaguello writes, are madly in love: they love an object that belongs to them only to the extent that they also share it with a community.

Yaguello investigates the sources of imaginary languages, in myths, dreams, and utopias. She takes readers on a tour of languages invented in literature from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, including that in More's Utopia, Leibniz's "algebra of thought," and Bulwer-Lytton's linguistic fiction. She examines the linguistic fantasies (or madness) of Georgian linguist Nikolai Marr and Swiss medium Hélène Smith; and considers the quest for the true philosophical language. Yaguello finds two abiding (and somewhat contradictory) forces: the diversity of linguistic experience, which stands opposed to unifying endeavors, and, on the other hand, features shared by all languages (natural or not) and their users, which justifies the universalist hypothesis.

Recent years have seen something of a boom in invented languages, whether artificial languages meant to facilitate international communication or imagined languages constructed as part of science fiction worlds. In Imaginary Languages (an updated and expanded version of the earlier Les Fous du langage, published in English as Lunatic Lovers of Language), Yaguello shows that the invention of language is above all a passionate, dizzying labor of love.

Author: Marina Yaguello
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 09/19/2023
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 7.64h x 4.72w x 0.79d
ISBN: 9780262547154

About the Author
Marina Yaguello is Professor Emerita of Linguistics at the University of Paris VII.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review

Related Products

Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD
Example product title
BD$37.60 BMD
BD$37.60 BMD

Recently Viewed Products