Gaston Dorren's 'Babel' explores the world's 20 most spoken languages, highlighting their unique characteristics and the challenges of learning them. The reviewer appreciates Dorren's approachable writing style and his ability to convey complex linguistic concepts in an engaging manner.
Gaston Dorren's 'Babel' takes readers on a global journey through the world's 20 most spoken languages, offering insights into their distinctive features and the difficulties of mastering them. The reviewer finds Dorren's writing style particularly appealing, as it combines a deep understanding of linguistics with a conversational tone that makes the subject matter accessible to a broad audience. Dorren's personal experiences with language learning, such as his struggles with Vietnamese and his admiration for P. G. Wodehouse's English, add a personal touch to the book. The reviewer also notes Dorren's ability to avoid the eccentricities often associated with polyglots, presenting himself as an approachable and modest figure in the world of language enthusiasts.
Quick quotes
They ultimately write off his three weeks of practice in the Vietnamese capital as a “fiasco
Dorren’s use of the word “thick” is characteristic of his unmistakably British English, studded with expressions like “a fine old mess,” “none too matey,” and “dead chuffed.
There’s something heartening about a non-native speaker mastering English not only to distinguish himself on the job market, but also out of admiration for a writer as unfashionable as P. G. Wodehouse.