Best Popular Language Books on Goodreads (174 books)

This list is for the most well known language books on Goodreads,

For purposes of this list, only include books with over 500 ratings and shelved at least 40 times as language.

Anything with less than 500 ratings or shelved less than 40 times as language will be removed and without comment.

See also:
Best Books about Linguistics
Books for language lovers
Fun Linguistics Word book
Books used in my linguistics degree
Translation Theory Reading List

By Decade:
2010s

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101	On Language by Noam Chomsky 3.82 avg rating — 1,060 ratings score: 147, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
102	Course in General Linguistics by Ferdinand de Saussure 3.97 avg rating — 3,597 ratings score: 145, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
102	The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English by Henry Hitchings 3.70 avg rating — 542 ratings score: 145, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
104	Language and Mind by Noam Chomsky 3.84 avg rating — 1,309 ratings score: 143, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
105	Syntactic Structures by Noam Chomsky 3.83 avg rating — 888 ratings score: 139, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
106	Is That a Fish in Your Ear? Translation and the Meaning of Everything by David Bellos 3.78 avg rating — 2,771 ratings score: 134, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
106	Wheelock's Latin by Frederic M. Wheelock 4.13 avg rating — 1,792 ratings score: 134, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
108	Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite by June Casagrande 3.81 avg rating — 940 ratings score: 131, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
109	Babel No More: The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners by Michael Erard (Goodreads Author) 3.54 avg rating — 1,476 ratings score: 128, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
110	501 French Verbs (Barron's 501 French Verbs) (English and French Edition) by Christopher Kendris 4.25 avg rating — 648 ratings score: 127, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
111	The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal 3.92 avg rating — 2,522 ratings score: 124, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
112	Words and Rules by Steven Pinker (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 1,923 ratings score: 121, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
113	The American Language by H.L. Mencken 4.12 avg rating — 547 ratings score: 120, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
114	Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose by Constance Hale (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 2,345 ratings score: 117, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
115	Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide by Josh Katz 4.18 avg rating — 1,292 ratings score: 112, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
116	The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu by Dan Jurafsky 3.75 avg rating — 2,405 ratings score: 111, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
117	Polyglot: How I Learn Languages by Kató Lomb 3.82 avg rating — 1,412 ratings score: 109, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Babel by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 423,705 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	1984 by George Orwell 4.20 avg rating — 5,305,242 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Naming and Necessity by Saul A. Kripke really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4,470 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany 3.72 avg rating — 19,708 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	The Search for the Perfect Language by Umberto Eco 3.96 avg rating — 842 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Of Grammatology by Jacques Derrida 3.97 avg rating — 5,315 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	You Say Potato: A Book About Accents by Ben Crystal 3.88 avg rating — 632 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	The Language of the Third Reich: LTI--Lingua Tertii Imperii: A Philologist's Notebook by Victor Klemperer 4.34 avg rating — 1,512 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	My Grammar and I... Or Should That Be Me?: How to Speak and Write It Right by Caroline Taggart (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 1,382 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggravation by Ammon Shea 3.66 avg rating — 681 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield 3.95 avg rating — 61,037 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Poetry, Language, Thought by Martin Heidegger 4.11 avg rating — 3,650 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Language, Truth and Logic by Alfred Jules Ayer 3.75 avg rating — 4,200 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Garner's Modern American Usage by Bryan A. Garner 4.60 avg rating — 1,064 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 4.33 avg rating — 2,408,311 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish: A Creative and Proven Approach by Margarita Madrigal 4.27 avg rating — 955 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Language and Symbolic Power by Pierre Bourdieu 4.19 avg rating — 974 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language by Dianne Hales (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 1,781 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	The Power of Language: How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform Our Minds by Viorica Marian (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 953 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, Vol. II by Eri Banno 4.35 avg rating — 687 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	The Story of Spanish by Jean-Benoît Nadeau (Goodreads Author) 3.93 avg rating — 606 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian by Ellen Jovin (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,259 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World by David Abram 4.17 avg rating — 5,339 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Native Tongue (Native Tongue, #1) by Suzette Haden Elgin really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4,652 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	The Greatest Invention: A History of the World in Nine Mysterious Scripts by Silvia Ferrara 3.45 avg rating — 706 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York by Ross Perlin 4.21 avg rating — 727 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Beowulf by Unknown 3.50 avg rating — 340,835 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Taal is zeg maar echt mijn ding by Paulien Cornelisse 3.66 avg rating — 9,957 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story by Michael Rosen 3.62 avg rating — 634 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris 3.63 avg rating — 2,100 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar by William D. Mounce 4.26 avg rating — 2,809 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year by Susie Dent 4.28 avg rating — 1,508 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
118	Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods by Michael Wex 3.64 avg rating — 1,506 ratings score: 105, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
151	How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler 3.98 avg rating — 27,341 ratings score: 104, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
152	Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You by Jay Rubin 4.17 avg rating — 678 ratings score: 103, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Other-Wordly: Words Both Strange and Lovely from Around the World by Yee-Lum Mak 4.21 avg rating — 2,130 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg 4.33 avg rating — 47,734 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Myths, Lies and Half-Truths of Language Usage by John McWhorter 4.37 avg rating — 618 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women's Words by Jenni Nuttall (Goodreads Author) 3.79 avg rating — 1,228 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word by Walter J. Ong 4.14 avg rating — 2,087 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Om Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt 3.58 avg rating — 15,454 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	When in French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins 3.51 avg rating — 3,629 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig 4.45 avg rating — 5,758 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Talking Hands: What Sign Language Reveals About the Mind by Margalit Fox (Goodreads Author) 4.02 avg rating — 527 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	The Symbolic Species: The Co-evolution of Language and the Brain by Terrence W. Deacon 4.20 avg rating — 598 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Linguistics: A Very Short Introduction by P.H. Matthews 3.30 avg rating — 982 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 4,359 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Language A to Z by John McWhorter 4.27 avg rating — 979 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Language Families of the World by John McWhorter (Author, Narrator) 4.42 avg rating — 980 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Don't Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth About Language by David Shariatmadari 3.74 avg rating — 794 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
153	Talking Back, Talking Black: Truths About America's Lingua Franca by John McWhorter 4.15 avg rating — 1,194 ratings score: 102, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
169	The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language by David Crystal 4.32 avg rating — 802 ratings score: 101, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
169	The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English by Hana Videen (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 1,043 ratings score: 101, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
169	How Language Began: The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention by Daniel L. Everett 3.43 avg rating — 990 ratings score: 101, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
172	Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren (Goodreads Author) 3.79 avg rating — 4,096 ratings score: 100, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
172	Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global by Laura Spinney 4.28 avg rating — 1,320 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
174	In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology and Myth by J.P. Mallory 4.08 avg rating — 800 ratings score: 95, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars