| Description |
xiii, 98 pages ; 19 cm |
| Note |
"A New Directions paperbook (NDP1361)." |
|
"Published originally in French as 'La langue D'Adam' by Éditions Toubkal"--Title-page verso. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 91-98). |
| Contents |
Babblings -- Babels -- A babelian Eden -- The oldest poem in the world -- Poet or prophet? -- The oblivion of Adam -- Poetic destiny -- "That's ... nice" (an afterword). |
| Summary |
In the beginning there was one language?one tongue that Adam used to compose the first poem, an elegy for Abel. ?These days, no one bothers to ask about the tongue of Adam. It is a naive question, vaguely embarrassing and irksome, like questions posed by children, which one can only answer rather stupidly.? So begins Abdelfattah Kilito?s The Tongue of Adam, a delightful series of lectures. With a Borgesian flair for riddles, stories, and subtle scholarly distinctions, Kilito presents an assortment of discussions related to Adam?s tongue, including translation, comparative religion, and lexicography: for example, how, from Babel onward, can we explain the plurality of language? Or can Adam?s poetry be judged aesthetically, the same as any other poem? Drawing from the commentators of the Koran to Walter Benjamin, from the esoteric speculations of Judaism to Herodotus, The Tongue of Adam is a nimble book about the mysterious rise of humankind?s multilingualism. |
| Subject |
Adam (Biblical figure) -- Language.
|
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Adam (Biblical figure) -- In the Qurʼan -- Language.
|
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Adam (Biblical figure) (OCoLC)fst00087719
|
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Language and languages -- Origin -- History.
|
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Historical linguistics.
|
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Arabic literature -- History and criticism.
|
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Adam (Biblical figure) in the Qurʼan. (OCoLC)fst01864774
|
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Arabic literature. (OCoLC)fst00812478
|
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Historical linguistics. (OCoLC)fst00958134
|
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Language and languages. (OCoLC)fst00992154
|
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Language and languages -- Origin.
(OCoLC)fst00992183
|
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PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Medieval.
|
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RELIGION / Comparative Religion.
|
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RELIGION / Islam / History.
|
| Genre/Form |
Essays. (OCoLC)fst01919922
|
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Criticism, interpretation, etc. (OCoLC)fst01411635
|
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History. (OCoLC)fst01411628
|
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Essays.
|
| Added Author |
Creswell, Robyn, translator.
|
|
Warner, Marina, 1946- writer of foreword.
|
| Added Title |
Langue d'Adam et autres essais. English
|
| Translation Of: |
Translation of: Kilito, Abdelfattah, 1945- Langue d'Adam. 2nd ed. Casablanca : Editions Toubkai, 1999 (OCoLC)57324631 |
| ISBN |
9780811224932 paperback alkaline paper |
|
0811224937 paperback alkaline paper |
|
