Every Word Is a Bird We Teach To Sing: Encounters with the Mysteries and Meanings of Language

Writer and linguist Tammet (Thinking in Numbers; Embracing the Wide Sky) takes us on a series of thought-provoking journeys as he probes the depth and intricacies of how language profoundly affects behavior at every social and political level. Through these memoirlike essays, Tammet demonstrates his eclectic approach to an exploration of the richness of language and its profound effect on his own life and those about whom he writes. From his childhood characterized by "high-function" autism, in which he saw language as numeric, to his encounters with and critique of Esperanto, this whirlwind narrative mirrors the author's polyglot talents. The chapter on the Icelandic language is especially compelling as Tammet demonstrates how it became an essential political tool as nationalists sought their independence from Denmark. In spite of the nationalist goal of Icelandic linguistic purity, the grammar has become "malleable" and "words transform the world around us."