Nicholas Ostler

About the Author

Nicholas Ostler is a renowned linguist and historian whose work illuminates the profound interplay between language and human civilization. With a background in classics and oriental studies from Oxford University, he has dedicated his career to exploring how languages rise, spread, and sometimes fade into obscurity, shaping empires and cultures across millennia. Ostler's scholarship bridges linguistics, history, and anthropology, offering readers insightful narratives on the global tapestry of tongues. His seminal book, Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World, traces the epic journeys of languages from ancient Sumerian to modern English, revealing how linguistic dominance has mirrored and influenced the fortunes of nations. A former executive director of the Foundation for Endangered Languages, Ostler continues to advocate for linguistic diversity in an increasingly homogenized world.