{"product_id":"the-language-lovers-puzzle-book-a-world-tour-of-languages-and-alphabets-in-100-amazing-puzzles-alex-bellos-puzzle-books","title":"The Language Lover's Puzzle Book: A World Tour of Languages and Alphabets in 100 Amazing Puzzles (Alex Bellos Puzzle Books)","description":"\u003cp\u003e100 wonder-filled word puzzles that thrill and tantalize with the beauty, magic, and weirdness of world language\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Whether you’re a crossword solver, cryptogram fan, Scrabble addict, or Sudoku savant, \u003ci\u003eThe Language Lover’s Puzzle Book\u003c\/i\u003e is guaranteed to tease your brain and twist your tongue. Puzzle master Alex Bellos begins in Japan, where we can observe some curious counting:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eboru niko\u003c\/i\u003e = two balls\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003etsuna nihon\u003c\/i\u003e = two ropes\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003euma nito\u003c\/i\u003e = two horses\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ekami nimai\u003c\/i\u003e = two sheets of paper\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eashi gohon\u003c\/i\u003e = five legs\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eringo goko\u003c\/i\u003e = five apples\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003esara gomai\u003c\/i\u003e = five plates\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ekaba goto\u003c\/i\u003e = five hippos\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now, how do the Japanese say “nine cucumbers”?*\u003cbr\u003e a) \u003ci\u003ekyuri kyuhon \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e b) \u003ci\u003ekyuri kyuko \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e c) \u003ci\u003ekyuri kyuhiki \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e d) \u003ci\u003ekyuri kyuto\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bellos finds the intrigue—and the human element—in a dizzying array of ancient, modern, and even invented tongues, from hieroglyphs to Blissymbolics, Danish to Dothraki. Filled with unusual alphabets, fascinating characters, and intriguing local customs for time-telling, naming children, and more, this is a bravura book of brainteasers and \u003ci\u003ebeyond\u003c\/i\u003e—it’s a globe-trotting, time-traveling celebration of language.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*The word endings depend on shape: Flat things end in -mai and spherical things end in -ko. Cucumbers are long things (like ropes and legs), so they end in -hon. The answer is (a)!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/alex-bellos-books\"\u003eAlex Bellos\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Games \u0026amp; Activities, Logic \u0026amp; Brain Teasers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Experiment\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781615198047\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"The Experiment","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £12.67","offer_id":47916691488945,"sku":"SB-1615198040-C2","price":12.67,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1615198040.jpg?v=1789174353","url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-language-lovers-puzzle-book-a-world-tour-of-languages-and-alphabets-in-100-amazing-puzzles-alex-bellos-puzzle-books","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}