This book is a history of human speech from prehistory to the present. It charts the rise of some languages and the fall of others, explaining why some survive

Does not discuss the Semitic languages.

"Take a tour of 21 of the world's most commonly spoken languages!"--Back cover.

Benny Lewis, who speaks over ten languages—all self-taught—runs the largest language-learning blog in the world, Fluent In 3 Months. Lewis is a full-time "l

"An insightful, accessible examination of the way in which day-to-day speech is tangled in a complicated web of history, politics, race, economics and power." -