THE STORY OF FRENCH
Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow

Nadeau, Jean-Benoit and Barlow, Julie. The Story of French. Nov. 2006. 400p. St. Martin's, $25.95 (0-312-34183-0). 440.9. There are more French-speaking people in Israel than there are in Louisiana. The number of French speakers in the world has tripled since World War II. Nadeau and Barlow's history of French is chockablockwith these sorts of intriguing facts about the language and its evolution (contrary to common belief, English was a major influence on French, not the other way around). The authors also offer fascinating commentary on the politics of language: despite the best efforts of purists, French, like other languages, is constantly changing and not just cosmetically--new and unconventional words are being adopted, as are new spellings and new grammatical constructions. From its mysterious origins as a conglomeration of other languages to the current squabble over the need to preserve its integrity, French has led one heck of an event-filled life. Sure to please fans of such language histories as Nicholas Ostlers Empires of the Word (2005).--David Pitt