Scientific Babel : The Language of Science from the Fall of Latin to the Rise of English

Today, the language of science is English. But the dominance of this particular language is a relatively recent phenomenon - and far from a foregone conclusion. In a sweeping history that takes us from antiquity to the modern day, Michael D. Gordin untangles the web of politics, money, personality a...

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Auteur principal : Gordin Michael D. (Auteur)
Format : Livre
Langue : anglais
Titre complet : Scientific Babel : The Language of Science from the Fall of Latin to the Rise of English / Michael D. Gordin
Publié : London : Profile Books , copyright 2017
Description matérielle : 1 vol. (415 p.)
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Résumé : Today, the language of science is English. But the dominance of this particular language is a relatively recent phenomenon - and far from a foregone conclusion. In a sweeping history that takes us from antiquity to the modern day, Michael D. Gordin untangles the web of politics, money, personality and international conflict that created the monoglot world of science we now inhabit. Beginning with the rise of Latin, Gordin reveals how we went on to use (and then lose) Dutch, Italian, Swedish and many other languages on the way, and sheds light on just how significant language is in the nationalistic realm of science - just one word mistranslated into German from Russian triggered an inflammatory face-off between the two countries for the credit of having discovered the periodic table
Bibliographie : Notes bibliogr. Index
ISBN : 978-1-78125-115-7
1-78125-114-2