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WHY IS THIS A QUESTION? (2022)

​​Why do our words go in the order they do? Why is our alphabet in ABC order? Why do we move our hands when we speak? How do we read, talk, and understand words? And for that matter, what even are words and languages at all? ​

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​Twenty remarkable questions like these are answered and explored in Why Is This A Question?, a fascinating guide to the nuts and bolts of human language and the science of linguistics. From the basics—defining precisely what words, languages, and English actually are—Why Is This A Question? gradually takes the reader on an ever more extraordinary journey into the deeper structure, use, history, and even philosophy of our language.

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​Along the way, you’ll be introduced to some of the most remarkable languages on the planet—as well as discovering the bizarre trait humans share with orangutans, what happened when Basque and Icelandic fisherman concocted their own language 400 years ago, what the Tower of Babel has to do with a skien of geese, and why you, reading this sentence right now, is akin to looking at a Cubist landscape painting. 

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What is the hardest language to learn? Why do some languages have genders? Where do our numbers come from? Why aren’t eleven and twelve teens? And what exactly is it that makes this sentence a question? ​The answers are all here, in a language book unlike any you have read before.​

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“Will make you question every sentence you’ve ever read or written.”
ARTHUR DER WEDUWEN

“Every page will make you stop, think, and wonder.”
JAMES HAWES

“As entertaining as it is engrossing, as approachable as it is cunningly learned, this book will delight logophiles everywhere—and create many new ones.”
JOHN BANVILLE

“Deft, informative, and packed with fascinating morsels.”
LEV PARIKIAN

“Enthralling ... A riveting ‘Who knew?’ moment on every page.”
CAROLINE TAGGART
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