ISBN Bouche Bee, Tout Ouie, Literatuur, Frans, Paperback

Did you know that the most widely spoken language in the world, Mandarin Chinese, has no word for "yes" or "no"? Are you aware that a staggering number of people get by very well without the use of extravagant verbs such as "to be" and "to have" or definite and indefinite articles that we use in even the most insignificant phrases? Did you know that the Japanese do not have a word for "water", that the Dutch do not smile but have "glowing laughs", and that, contrary to popular belief, French is a much more humorous language than English? Even as a linguist, Alex Taylor didn't know all this. The book is an exploration of the no man's land of the dictionary, the ideas that different languages express and sometimes what it means when they have no words. Alex Taylor has become the "Mr. Europe" of French media. A journalist and producer, he has hosted numerous television shows. After Journal d'un apprenti pervers (Lattès, 2007), he comes back to his favorite subject: languages.