Water, Whiskey, and Vodka

A fascinating cultural and linguistic history of the Slavic languages, exploring the deep connections and distinctions between them

Water, whiskey, and vodka are three words that seem to have nothing in common, but each of them comes from the same root.

Water, Whiskey, and Vodka takes a deep dive into the origins of the Slavic languages, from a common ancestor language through various cultural and historical shifts to arrive at the current breadth of languages. The book takes a captivating look at the unique sociolinguistic context of the Slavic languages and pays special attention to the cultural subtleties particular to each one and the people who speak it. Danko Šipka touches on the origins of the Slavic languages, their linguistic similarities and differences, word borrowing across them all, and the cultural importance of languages even within this family of languages.

Water, Whiskey, and Vodka will fascinate readers—whether or not they speak Slavic languages—interested in the history and development of one or more Slavic languages. Writing from the Slavic linguistic tradition, where talking about language happens in the public sphere, he offers readers a deeper understanding of various Slavic cultural traditions and historical events as they are reflected in their languages.

Author Biography

Danko Šipka is a professor of Slavic languages and head of linguistics at Arizona State University, where he teaches in the School of International Letters and Cultures. He served as a senior linguist and consultant to numerous language industry companies. He has written thirty books, including The Geography of Words (2022) and Lexical Layers of Identity (2019).