Loving Language: Learning to Hear Your Neighbor

Written as a “cure for monolingualism” that plagues most native English speakers today, this book imagines a future full of dignity for all languages. Formed by an insatiable linguistic curiosity and respect for the cultures around him, Benton suggests that attitudes intended to unite and strengthen the nation through a single language actually impose the opposite effect and impoverish us all. Become a life-long language learner today by using practical tips to connect with neighbors who appreciate delightfully humbling greetings and exchanges.

“This book is relentlessly optimistic about the power of learning languages to make a better world, and a hopeful guide to the individual’s linguistic ability to be open to the world. It’s a remarkable self-portrait of an indefatigable language learner who finds ad hoc language teachers, and new friends, everywhere—even in the supposedly monolingual United States.”
—Michael Erard, author of Babel No More