Gorgeous ... Perlin never misses the chance to reinforce a key point: The history of New York’s lesser-known languages is also that of the traumas of many speakers ... Language City is a deft refutation of [the parable of Babel's] moral.
Superb ... Mr. Perlin can set a scene with quick, sure strokes ... Wonderfully rich, Language City is in part an introduction to the diverse ways different languages work.
Panoramic, enthralling ... Perlin’s discussion of indigenous languages is stellar ... Perlin also weaves in his own story; his grandfather, who died in 1997, was the last Yiddish speaker in his own extended lineages. He probes the poignancy and complexity of his own feelings, lending a candor and tenderness to his account.
[Perlin] opens up the world of endangered languages to monolingual mainstream Americans by bringing compelling and driven native speakers of those languages to the table, as well as taking care to provide historical and cultural detail. However, the volume of information in the book, including geographic specifics of both New York and the world, can occasionally feel dense despite an approachable tone and clear explanations of concepts.
[E]xuberant, radical . . . Perlin writes fiercely and finely about genocide, forced migration, forced education, suppression and racism; but these pages also thrum with action and hope.
Language City is a linguistic Baedeker of New York, and particularly its outer boroughs, which have become a roosting place for so many immigrant populations. To the extent that it's about place as well as language, it's a work of ethno-anthropology and psychogeography as well as a study of language . . . Mr. Perlin's story is phrased as a personal one and a mission, and among its moving elements are the case histories of individuals caught in the shift of language and geography.
Perlin is a compelling advocate for fighting to protect rare languages ... Language City's depth rivals a graduate class in the linguistic diversity of New York. Those with a lay interest in linguistics, geography, and history may find the discussion of syntax and pronunciation at times overwhelming.
