Tracing the Journey of Global Languages
Patrick Foote's Immigrant Tongues is the ultimate language history book, blending stories of migration, culture, and evolution to uncover how languages have shaped our world. Perfect for fans of linguistics gifts and etymology dictionaries, this book combines the fascinating history of English language development with tales of other lingua francas and their profound global impact.
Discover how languages transform and adapt.
From the history of the English language's arrival in the United States to the spread of Arabic across North Africa and the enduring legacy of the Latin language, Immigrant Tongues explores the journeys of tongues across continents. Each chapter delves into the origins of a language, the native tongues it encountered, and how it adapted and evolved in its new home. With a style that balances entertainment and depth, this linguistics book also highlights the cultural exchanges that enriched language along the way.
Uncover the stories behind linguistic diversity. Whether you're intrigued by etymology gifts or searching for the perfect language book, this engaging narrative reveals the deep connections between geography, history, and the evolution of words. Explore the native languages spoken before immigrant tongues arrived, how languages like French and Mori transformed over time, and why some evolved into today's modern lingua francas.
Inside, you'll find:
A detailed exploration of language origins and their journeys across the globe. Insight into how languages like English, Latin, and Arabic adapted to new cultural landscapes. Stories that deepen your appreciation for the interplay of linguistics and history.
Immigrant Tongues is more than a book-it's a treasured gift for history buffs, etymology lovers, and anyone fascinated by how words have shaped our world. The perfect linguistics present, this book celebrates the power and beauty of human communication.
If you liked Why Do We Say That?, Dictionary of Word Origins, or The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between: Volume II, you'll love Immigrant Tongues.
By:
Patrick Foote
Imprint: Mango Media
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 12mm
ISBN: 9781684818150
ISBN 10: 168481815X
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 19 November 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction Part 1: Early Migrations The Indo-European Language Family The Germanic Branch: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Icelandic, Afrikaans The Romance Branch: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian The Balto-Slavic Branch: Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian The Celtic Branch: Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Bretton The Indo-Iranian Branch: Hindi, Persian, Sanskrit, Bengali The Uralic Language Family The Ugric Branch: Hungarian The Baltic-Finnic Branch: Finnish, Estonian The Sami Branch: Northern Sami, Southern Sami, Ter Sami The Turkic Language Family The Oghuz Branch: Turkish, Turkmen, Azerbaijani The Karluk Branch: Uzbek The Kipchak Branch: Kazakh Part 2: The Age of Colonisation The Atlantic-Congo Language Family The Bantu Branch: Swahili, Zulu, Kirundi The Volta-Niger Branch: Yoruba, Igbo The Savannas Branch: Miyobe, Gur, Kulango The Afroasiatic Language Family The Semitic Branch: Arabic, Hebrew, Maltese The Berber Branch: Tuareg, Tashlhiyt, Shawiya, Kabyle The Cushitic Branch: Somali, Oromo, Beja The Egyptian Branch: Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian, Coptic The Sino-Tibetan Language Family The Sinitic Branch: Mandarin, Jin/Cantonese, Wu, Yue The Tibetic Branch: Standard Tibetan, Khams Tibetan, Amdolese The Burmish Branch: Burmese, Achang, Zaiwa The Japonic Language Family The Japanese Branch: Japanese The Ryukyuan Branch: Okinawan, Miyako, Kikai Part 3: New Imperialism and Beyond The Koreanic Language Family The Korean Branch: Korean The Jeju Branch: Jeju The Algic Language Family The Algonquian Branch: Cree, Ojibwa, Arapaho, Cheyenne The Yurok Branch: Yurok The Wiyot Branch: Wiyot The Iroquoian Language Family The Northern Iroquoian Branch: Mohawk, Seneca, Huronian The Southern Iroquoian Branch: Cherokee The Uto-Aztecan Language Family The Nahuan Branch: Nahuatl, Pipil The Numic Branch: Comanche, Timbisha, Shoshoni The Piman Branch: O’odham, Tepecano The Arawak Language Family The Northern Branch: Taíno, Garifuna, Arawak, Piapoco The Southern Branch: Ashaninca, Machiguenga, Iñapari The Quechuan Language Family The Quechuan I Branch: Ancash, Huánuco, Yaru The Quechuan II Branch: Cuzco, Cajamarca-Cañaris, Kichwa The Austroasiatic Language Family The Vietic Branch: Vietnamese, Arem, Phong The Khmer Branch: Khmer The Munda Branch: Santali, Mundari, Ho The Austronesian Language Family The Malayo-Polynesian Branch: Māori, Tongan, Hawaiian, Fijian, Malagasy The Philippine Branch: Tagalog/Filipino The Malayic Branch: Malay, Indonesian The Pama-Nyungan Language Family The Paman Branch: Umpila, Koko-Bera The Nyungan Branch: Noongar, Galaagu
Patrick Foote was born in London but has since moved to Plymouth in the southwest of England. Patrick always enjoyed learning and has always had a particular interest in language and linguistics. This all resulted in the creation of his popular YouTube channel Name Explain, which started life focusing on uncovering the origins of names but now covers anything and everything language. Name Explain has been a huge success, becoming one of the most popular etymology and language channels on YouTube. When not making YouTube videos or wiring books he enjoys reading, playing board/video games, watching pro wrestling, walking, and wild swimming.
Reviews for History of Language: Exploring How Languages Have Evolved and Defined Us
""Patrick has made me realise that even the most mundane and ubiquitous words can have an endlessly fascinating story."" —Betty Chen, founder of ARTiculations ""Patrick has always had the unique ability to get you caring about things you didn't realize you cared about. This book will make you care about why you talk the way you talk."" —Mr. Beat, educational YouTuber and author of The Power of Our Supreme Court
