Investigations of the Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface (Studies in Language Companion Series)
By Robert D. Van Valin Jr.
* Publisher:John Benjamins Publishing Company
* Number Of Pages:509
* Publication Date:2008-11-21
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:9027205728
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9789027205728
Investigations of the Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface presents on-going research in Role and Reference Grammar in a number of critical areas of linguistic theory: verb semantics and argument structure, the nature of syntactic categories and syntactic representation, prosody and syntax, information structure and syntax, and the syntax and semantics of complex sentences. In each of these areas there are important results which not only advance the development of the theory, but also contribute to the broader theoretical discussion. In particular, there are analyses of grammatical phenomena such as transitivity in Kabardian, the verb-less numeral quantifier construction in Japanese, and an unusual kind of complex sentence in Wari’ (Chapakuran, Brazil) which not only illustrate the descriptive and explanatory power of the theory, but also present interesting challenges to other approaches. In addition, there are papers looking at the implications and applications of Role and Reference Grammar for neurolinguistic research, parsing and automated text analysis.
Table of contents
List of contributors
ix–xi
Part I. Introduction by the Editor
Editor's introduction
xv–xxiv
Part II. Verbs, argument structure and transitivity
"Saying" verbs in Spanish: Deepening the lexical semantics description
Sergio Iba馿z Cerda
3–21
Split intransitivity in Japanese revisited
Kiyoko Toratani
23–35
Reintroducing inverse constructions in Japanese:
The deictic verb kuru “to come” in the paradigms of argument encoding
Hiroaki Koga and Toshio Ohori
37–57
Transitivity in Kabardian
Ranko Matasović
59–74
Ditransitive constructions: Towards a new Role and Reference Grammar account?
Martin Haspelmath
75–100
Fluid transitivity and generalized semantic roles
Wataru Nakamura
101–116
Part III. Syntactic and morphological categories
Unification and separation in a functional theory of morphology
Javier Martín Arista
119–145
Modality in RRG: Towards a characterisation using Irish data
Brian Nolan
147–159
RPs and the nature of lexical and syntactic categories in
Role and Reference Grammar
Robert D. Van Valin, Jr.
161–178
“Floating plurals”, prodrop and agreement – an optimality-based RRG approach
Rolf Kailuweit
179–202
Where is the precore slot? Mapping the layered structure of the clause and German sentence topology
Elke Diedrichsen
203–224
Part IV. Syntax, pragmatics and prosody
A prosodic projection for Role and Reference Grammar
Rob O'Connor
227–244
Is Role and Reference Grammar an adequate grammatical theory for punctuation?
Valeriano Bellosta von Colbe
245–261
The interplay of focus structure and syntax:
Evidence from two sister languages
Delia Bentley
263–284
How missing is the missing verb? The verb-less numeral quantifier construction in Japanese
Mitsuaki Shimojo
285–304
Predication and reference in specificational sentences – functions of English noun phrases
Emma Pavey
305–317
Part V. The analysis of complex sentences
Alternative expressions of 'want' complements
Lilián Guerrero
321–336
An RRG approach to French complementation patterns:
Some operator constraints on the logical structure
Takahiro Morita
337–357
Complementizer-gap phenomena: Syntactic or pragmatic constraints?
John L鰓enadler
359–379
Wari’ Intentional State Constructions
Daniel L. Everett
381–409
Part VI. Neurolinguistic and computational aspects of RRG
Unmarked transitivity: A processing constraint on linking
Ina Bornkessel-Schlesewsky and Matthias Schlesewsky
413–434
Parsing for Role and Reference Grammar
Elizabeth Guest
435–453
A Role-Lexical Module (RLM) for Biblical Hebrew: A mapping tool for RRG and WordNet
Nicolai Winther-Nielsen
455–478
Index of languages
479–480
Index of subjects
481–484
Exploring the Syntax-Semantics Interface
By Jr., Robert D. van Valin
* Publisher:Cambridge University Press
* Number Of Pages:332
* Publication Date:2005-07-25
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0521811791
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780521811798
* Binding:Hardcover
Product Description:
While all languages can achieve the same basic communicative ends, they each use different means to achieve them, particularly in the divergent ways that syntax, semantics and pragmatics interact across languages. Written within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar, which proposes a set of rules to link semantic and syntactic relations to each other, this book discusses in detail how structure, meaning, and communicative function interact in human languages. Clearly written and comprehensive, it will be welcomed by all those working on the interface between syntax, semantics and pragmatics.
Summary: Good follow-up to the 97 book
Rating: 5
This is the latest revision of the functional syntactic framework known as Role and Reference Grammar. The previous one was Syntax: Structure, Meaning, and Function (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) but there have been plenty of developments with regard to the theory, and this is a welcome update. The book is not as thick as the red book, but if one is a complete beginner to RRG, then I would recommend reading the 97 book first and then this one. However, this book still is very user-friendly, and is very accessible.
Moodle 1.9 for Second Language Teaching
By Jeff Stanford
* Publisher:Packt Publishing
* Number Of Pages:420
* Publication Date:2009-10-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:1847196241
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9781847196248
Product Description:
Engaging online language learning activities using the Moodle platform
* A recipe book for creating language activities using Moodle 1.9
* Get the most out of Moodle 1.9's features to create enjoyable, useful language learning activities
* Create an online language learning center that includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, vocabulary, and grammar activities
* Enhance your activities to make them visually attractive, and make the most of audio and video activities
In Detail
That word Moodle keeps cropping up all over the place - it's in the newspapers, on other teachers' tongues, in more and more articles. Do you want to find out more about it yourself and learn how to create all sorts of fun and useful online language activities with it? Your search ends right here.
This book demystifies Moodle and provides you with answers to your queries. It helps you create engaging online language learning activities using the Moodle platform. It has suggestions and fully working examples for adapting classroom activities to the Virtual Learning Environment.
This book breaks down the core components of a typical language syllabus - speaking, pronunciation, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and assessment - and shows you how use Moodle 1.9 to create complete, usable activities that practice them. Each chapter starts with activities that are easier to set up and progresses to more complex ones. Nevertheless, it's a recipe book so each activity is independent. We start off with a brief introduction to Moodle so that you're ready to deal with those specific syllabus topics, and conclude with building extended activities that combine all syllabus elements, making your course attractive and effective. Building activities based on the models in this book, you will develop the confidence to set up your own Moodle site with impressive results.
What you will learn from this book?
* Look at a variety of activities that help students to learn words, review and recycle vocabulary, and learn different ways of keeping vocabulary records.
* Help students get better at their speaking ability using the add-on nanogong recorder, which illustrates activities that look at pronunciation, intonation, fluency, stress, and discussions.
* Create a wide range of activities for presenting grammar, practicing its use, and keeping grammar records.
* Embed flash audio players and YouTube video on your Moodle to make language learning more fun.
* Encourage students to read and interact with texts using Moodle and learn an activity on extended reading.
* Set up collaborative writing tasks and tasks with different types of feedback to help students to structure sentences to create longer texts, build short stories using key vocabulary, and more.
* Make your materials look more engaging and attractive by enhancing their visual design.
* Consider the importance of roles, groups, and outcomes as well as the add-ons to make the most of Moodle for language teaching.
* Create activities that help students learn and practice to write effectively online.
* Set up useful listening activities using student-made recordings, forum discussions and authentic texts, which motivate students to listen.
* Help students to interact with listening texts through tasks such as matching, gap-fill, text prediction, and ordering events.
* Benefit from Moodle's gradebook statistics to improve your own language tests.
* Make your students language learning experience more effective by checking the quality of the text, images, and audio and learn the importance of clear navigation paths.
Approach
The author's experience as a teacher enables him to combine a simple, descriptive how-to approach with enthusiastic insights into the rich potential of Moodle for creating engaging, useful language learning activities. The book is based on Moodle 1.9 and gives clear instructions with lots of screenshots. There are dozens of examples of activities that you can use to create your own online activities.
Who this book is written for?
This book is written for teachers, trainers, and course planners with little or no experience of Moodle who want create their own language learning activities.
On the Nature of the Syntax-Phonology Interface (North-Holland Linguistic Series: Linguistic Variations)
By Zeljko Boskovic
* Publisher:North Holland
* Number Of Pages:338
* Publication Date:2001-04-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0080439357
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780080439358
Product Description:
The theoretical domain of investigation of this volume is the nature of the syntax-phonology interface. The empirical domain of investigation is cliticization in South Slavic. The volume also examines several phenomena that raise theoretical issues related to those involved in South Slavic cliticization, namely, multiple wh-fronting in Slavic and Romanian, Germanic V-2, object shift and stylistic fronting in Scandinavian, and negation in Romance.
The central theoretical questions considered in the volume are how syntax and phonology interact with each other and whether PF can affect word order. It is argued that PF does affect word order, but not through actual PF movement.
The volume makes new proposals concerning the structural representation of clitics and the nature of clitic clustering. It also provides an account of the second position effect and teases apart the role of syntax and phonology in cliticization and the second posit
Belfast English and Standard English: Dialect Variation and Parameter Setting (Oxford Studies in Comparative Syntax)
By Alison Henry
* Publisher:Oxford University Press, USA
* Number Of Pages:160
* Publication Date:1995-03-16
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0195082915
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780195082913
Product Description:
The study of comparative syntax in closely related languages has yielded valuable insights into syntactic phenomena--for example in the study of the Romance languages--yet little comparative work has been done on English dialects. This is the first comparison of the syntax of Belfast English and Standard English, using Chomsky's "Principles and Parameters"/Minimalist framework. Alison Henry analyzes various Belfast English constructions and their Standard English counterparts to gain insight into both English syntax and syntactic theory in general. In the process, she makes valuable data on Belfast English readily available for the first time.
English Syntax and Argumentation: Second Edition (Modern Linguistics)
* Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan
* Number Of Pages:326
* Publication Date:2001-11-02
* Sales Rank:1138963
* ISBN / ASIN:0333949862
* EAN:9780333949863
* Binding:Paperback
* Manufacturer:Palgrave Macmillan
* Studio:Palgrave Macmillan
* Average Rating:
* Total Reviews:
Book Description:
This textbook on syntax gives students a thorough grounding in the basics of sentence structure, and at the same time acquaints them with the essentials of syntactic argumentation. This new edition is completely revised, with the chapter on X-bar syntax now split in two to give greater prominence to clauses. It also contains many new exercises, which are now graded in terms of level of difficulty. Each chapter has a section on suggested further reading material, and there is a bibliography and list of recommended reference works.
XO: A Theory of the Morphology-Syntax Interface (Linguistics Inquiry Monographs)
By Yafei Li
* Publisher:The MIT Press
* Number Of Pages:232
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0262621916
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780262621915
Product Description:
This important monograph offers a resolution to the debate in theoretical linguistics over the role of syntactic head movement in word formation. It does so by synthesizing the syntactic and lexicalist approaches on the basis of the empirical data that support each side. In trying to determine how a morphologically complex word is formed in Universal Grammar, generative linguists have argued either that a substantial amount of morphological phenomena result from head movement in overt syntax (the widely adopted syntactic approach) or that morphological/lexical means are both necessary and sufficient for a theory of word formation (the Lexicalist Hypothesis). Li examines both the linguistic facts that are brought to light for the first time and the existing data in the literature and shows that each side has an empirical foundation that cannot be negated by the other. Since neither approach is adequate to explain all the facts of word formation, he argues, the way to achieve a unified account lies in synthesizing the empirically advantageous portions of both approaches into one simple and coherent theory.
Li begins by demonstrating how a theory that combines the essence of the syntactic and lexicalist approaches can account more accurately for the various morphological constructions analyzed in the literature by means of syntactic verb incorporation. He then examines causativization on the adjectival root, noun incorporation in polysynthetic languages, and the possibility that the word formation part of the Lexicalist Hypothesis—which is crucial to his theory—can be derived as a theorem from a version of the X-bar theory. He concludes by discussing methodological issues in current linguistic research.
Understanding Cultures through Their Key Words: English, Russian, Polish, German, and Japanese (Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics , No 8)
By Anna Wierzbicka
* Publisher:Oxford University Press, USA
* Number Of Pages:328
* Publication Date:1997-08-07
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0195088360
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780195088366
* Binding:Paperback
Product Description:
This book develops the dual themes that languages can differ widely in their vocabularies, and are also sensitive indices to the cultures to which they belong. Wierzbicka seeks to demonstrate that every language has "key concepts," expressed in "key words," which reflect the core values of a given culture. She shows that cultures can be revealingly studied, compared, and explained to outsiders through their key concepts, and that the analytical framework necessary for this purpose is provided by the "natural semantic metalanguage," based on lexical universals, that the author and colleagues have developed on the basis of wide-ranging cross-linguistic investigations. Appealing to anthropologists, psychologists, and philosophers as well as linguists, this book demonstrates that cultural patterns can be studied in a verifiable, rigorous, and non-speculative way, on the basis of empirical evidence and in a coherent theoretical framework.
Summary: Fascinating stuff.
Rating: 5
Contrary to the previous reviewer's opinion, I found this book fascinating. I don't have a Ph.D. in linguistics either.
Her claim is *not* that one cannot understand the key words of a culture without being immersed in the culture, only that one cannot understnad the key words of a culture by means of simplistic translations or definitions. She attempts to provide careful and precise definitions, given in what she calls the "Natural Semantic Metalanguage" -- an extremely restricted vocabulary consisting of words that, as far as she has been able to tell via research, have equivalents in every natural language.
I don't buy all of her "Natural Semantic Metalanguage" theories (for which see her other book _Semantics: Primes and Universals_) but it sure is a useful tool for the job she's doing here.
Summary: Wierzbicka's academic fluff chokes meanings.
Rating: 1
I read this book for an athropology class at a western private university. I have to say that while Wierzbicka's domination of different languages is impressive, her "fluffy" explanations of the key words in the book tend to bore the reader, thus leaving him/her more confused about the meanings of the key words than before. Furthermore, her findings tend to undermine her own premise that a culture's key words cannot be understood except by understanding the culture itself. No one person can claim to explain--as she does--what certain words mean within their cultural realm without having been immmersed totally in that culture (usually born and raised). Thus, one is lead to believe that even she doesn't understand the "key words" totally, and her credibility is therefore undermined. I wouldn't recommend the book to anyone with less than a Ph.D. in Linguistics.
The Range of Interpretation
By Wolfgang Iser
* Publisher:Columbia University Press
* Number Of Pages:280
* Publication Date:2000-04-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:023111902X
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780231119023
Product Description:
There is a tacit assumption that interpretation comes naturally, that human beings live by constantly interpreting. In this sense, we might even rephrase Descartes by saying: We interpret, therefore we are. While such a basic human disposition makes interpretation appear to come naturally, the forms it takes, however, do not. In this work, Iser offers a fresh approach by formulating an "anatomy of interpretation" through which we can understand the act of interpretation in its many different manifestations. For Iser, there are several different genres of interpretation, all of which are acts of translation designed to transpose something into something else. Perhaps the most obvious example of interpretation involves canonical texts, such as the Rabbinical exegesis of the Torah or Samuel Johnson磗 reading of Shakespeare. But what happens when the matter that one seeks to interpret consists not of a text but of a welter of fragments, as in the study of history, or when something is hidden, as in the practice of psychoanalysis, or is as complex as a culture or system? Iser details how, in each of these cases, the space that is opened up by interpretation is negotiated in a different way, thus concluding that interpretation always depends on what it seeks to translate. For students of philosophy, literary and critical theory, anthropology, and cultural history, Iser磗 elucidation of the mechanics by which we translate and understand, as well as his assessment of the anthropological roots of our drive to make meaning, will undoubtedly serve as a revelation.
The Sociolinguistics of Identity (Advances in Sociolinguistics)
By Tope Omoniyi, Goodith White
* Publisher:Continuum
* Number Of Pages:239
* Publication Date:2007-01-02
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0826490646
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780826490643
Product Description:
Identity is a problematic concept in-as-much-as we recognise it now as non-fixed, non-rigid and always being co-constructed by individuals of themselves, or by people who share certain core values or perceive another group as having such values. This volume re-examines the analytical tools employed in the sociolinguistic research of 'identity' in order to assess their efficiency, establish the roles of language in the identity claims of specific communities of people, and determine the place of identity in a variety of social contexts, including work places and language classrooms. It will be of interest to academics researching sociolinguistics, applied linguistics and second language learning.
Revisiting Racialized Voice: African American Ethos in Language and Literature
By David G Holmes PhD
* Publisher:Southern Illinois University Press
* Number Of Pages:144
* Publication Date:2004-01-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0809325470
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780809325474
Product Description:
Revisiting Racialized Voice: African American Ethos in Language and Literature argues that past misconceptions about what constitutes black identity and voice, codified from the 1870s through the 1920s, inform contemporary assumptions about African American authorship. Tracing elements of racial consciousness in the works of Frederick Douglass, Charles Chesnutt, W.E.B. DuBois, Zora Neale Hurston, and others, David G. Holmes urges a revisiting of narratives from this period to strengthen and advance notions about racialized writing and to shape contemporary composition pedagogies.
Holmes considers how the white hegemony demarcated black identity and reveals the ways some African American writers unintentionally reinforced the hegemony’s triad of race, language, and identity. Whereas some of these writers were able to help rethink black voice by recognizing dialect as a necessary linguistic discursive medium, others actually inhibited their own efforts to transcend race essentialism.
Still others projected race as a personal and social paradox which complicated racial identity but did not denigrate African American identity. In recalling the transition in the 1960s from voice as metaphor denoting literary authorship to one connoting student authorship, Holmes posits that rereading the 1960s would enable a mediation between literary and rhetorical voice and an empowered look at race as both an abstraction and as rhetorically indispensable.
Pointing to the intersection of African American identity, literature, and rhetoric, Revisiting Racialized Voice begins to construct rhetorically workable yet ideologically flexible definitions of black voice. Holmes maintains that political pressure to embrace a "color blindness" endangers scholars’ ability to uncover links between racialized discourses of the past and the present, and he calls instead for a reassessment of the material realities and theoretical assumptions race represents and with which it has been associated.
Summary: Racialized Voice, Does it exist?
Rating: 4
The written "voice" is no less important to an author than a wheel to an automobile. Without each respectively, neither would run, nor be given any amount of recognition. The context and background is often what makes each particular author worth reading. To deny one's experiences as integrally involved in producing any form of literature would be utter nonsense. It is this authorial makeup that Dr. David G. Holmes focuses his book "Revisiting Racialized Voice: Aftrican American Ethos in Language and Literature".
The very first chapter begins with a depiction of Frederick Douglass, as both a prolific writer, as well as an African American surrounded by a thoroughly racist worldview. Holmes uses the example of Douglass, not simply because of his superior writing, but most notably his struggle to "transcend race" through his writing. It is with this foundation that Holmes describes a plethora of black writers who have struggled with this very same problem. By describing various black authors from various movements (Harlem Renaissance, Black Arts Movement) we see a continual struggle of self-identification. This problem manifested itself in societal issues presented by black writers. The argument between W.E.B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes over the portrayal of African Americans shows the labors of a marginalized group attempting to build its own reputation through the written word. The story of Zora Neale Hurston combines the background of gender and African American makeup to the
And while attempting to show this inability of African Americans to transcend race, he is concurrently showing all of humanity's inability to do so. By the end of the work, it becomes clear that all of our background, including our race, gender, ethnicity, etc...will affect the "voice" manifested in our writing.
Throughout his book, Dr. David G. Holmes explores the broad range of responses African Americans presented in respect to their race. Holmes shows the desperate tensions that each great African American author faced during a time of intense racism, and the vast degree of denigration incurred by Black culture.
My major problem in respect to this book occurs in the overall makeup of the book. At times it seemed as if Holmes had wavered from his original intent, moving from one tangent to the other. I would have liked to have seen more coherency from point to point, connecting the ideals of race and voice more often than occurred throughout the book.
Overall, Dr. Holmes establishes himself as both a scholar of rhetoric and African American History in "Revisiting Racialized Voice: African American Ethos in Language and Literature".
Summary: Voice, where at thou?
Rating: 3
In Revisiting a Racialized Voice: African American Ethos in Language and Literature, David G. Holmes attempts to firstly, "discuss the racialization of voce from the 1870s to the 1920s", "trace through representative authors, the evolution of black voice from it literal to metaphorical use in literature and composition" and finally "afford African American students more flexibility in constructing their own racialized ethos in writing.", Dr. Holmes attempts to explain race and voice especially black voice rhetorically and metaphorically without actually pinning them down with exact definitions. Holmes refers to these constructs as slippery metaphors influenced by identity and society. He believes that authors are limited by the expectation of society which leads them to fail in finding their own ethos. There is a "search for the inner public voice".
He employs the work of several historically great black authors to support his argument. Holmes focuses on the negative and positive aspects of each author's employment of voice and how they struggled with adopting a personal identity in the face of societal labels. Chapter one portrays Frederick Douglass who is shown struggling with the tension of projecting an American voice while being labeled as a black voice.
Chestnutt, a man of mixed race had to deal with the one drop rule. He was classified as black even though his heritage involved much more.
Du Bois struggles with balancing both his private and public voice.
The book closes with a summary of pertinent points from previous chapters. The author connects with his audience with a few lines of advice such as recognizing that African American culture is influenced by both European and African cultures. He urges the audience to understand that there might always be a struggle between one's personal identity and what the outside world sees.
Dr. Holmes voice rings clear throughout the book. He is very much involved in code switching where he switches fluidly from a formal to an informal voice and back. He writes very much in the way that he speaks.
I found the book rather inaccessible in terms of the language. It is written for a graduate and academic audience but still I believe some of the terminologies employed might be over the heads of most people. Also, unless one is specifically studying African American Studies or a related field, some of the history and literature mentioned might lose you.
Summary: Reading Voice
Rating: 4
In Revisiting Racialized Voice, Holmes tackles the difficult and elusive concept of black voice. The work begins with a clear and understandable, three-fold statement of the rhetorical intent in the Preface: to examine the relationship between literature, oratory and composition in the explication of black voice; to trace the evolution of black voice; and to afford black students more flexibility in constructing their own racialized ethos in writing(...)(...)Holmes by no means seeks to deny the subjective nature of black voice. Thus, in his own writing, he can neither deny, nor even escape, his own black voice and subjectivity. Nor would he want to. And any writer willing to put his own voice, and self, out on the table for examination and critique deserves credit, or, at the very least, a few appreciative readers.
Summary: Single White Male Seeks African American Voice
Rating: 3
"Revisiting Racialized Voice: African American Ethos in Language and Literature" by David G. Holmes raises and investigates important questions about "black voice," African American Ethos, and the relationship between the two. Holmes traces, (and chases) the elusive definition of black voice by citing examples from prominent writers who struggled with this slippery metaphor.
Any definition of black voice is, according to Homes, "questionable at best," because race is biologically impossible to define, and voice is dynamic, cryptic and often malleable. The term black voice is flawed because it begs questions such as: "Who is black enough to write in the black voice?", "Do all African Americans qualify?", and "If so, do they lose their `blackness' when they borrow a different voice?".
Instead of defining the black voice, Holmes cites examples of African Americans in literature that struggled with the "blackness" of their own inner public voices (or for the scholars: the African American-ism of their internalized ethos.)
Holmes shows how Frederick Douglass tried to transcend racialized voice. Douglass wanted to be an American writer, not a Negro writer, but sadly, his contemporaries saw Douglass as far too intelligent to be black. Holmes attributes Douglass' hindrance to the "assumed inherent, intellectual inferiority of the African" (14) that permeated Post-Enlightenment American society.
Charles Waddell Chesnutt is presented as another person who suffered with the tension of racialized ethos in writing. Chesnutt -a man of mixed racial heritage- who considered himself neither black nor white, struggled with an unwritten "One Drop Rule," that automatically led people to label him. Chesnutt was a man who tried to avoid being classified as a "black writer," or a "white writer," a man who rejected "black voice," and desired "in-betweenness."
In Chapter 4, Holmes presents W.E.B. Du Bois as an example of what can happen when one voice (be it ever so educated and intelligent,) is heralded as the black voice. Du Bois embraced the Victorian idea that European culture was superior to all others, and therefore inadvertently discredited black folk culture. Clearly, according to Holmes, America must resonate with many black voices, not just one.
Personally I enjoyed the fact that "Revisiting Racialized Voice" is not just a historical collection of black voices; it is also an experiment by Holmes. Holmes attempts to showcase the tension between his formal "African American Ethos," and his less formal, "black voice." Holmes experiments with the voice that he is chronicling, and interrogates and plays with it by code switching. Readers should be prepared for academic terms such as; pejorative, hermenutic, and polemical next to words like nigger, nigga, and niggaz. I imagined a collage of contrasting African American voices coming together. Imagine: Frederick Douglass and Malcom X, chillin' (academically of course) with Richard Pryor, Fat Albert, and the rest of the Cosby Kids. (Okay, the book's not that funny, but that is what I imagined.)
On a critical note however, the book left me hungry for more of the voice it was seeking to describe. I felt that though Holmes uses a few words and examples that could be described as academically playful, at times his black voice is hindered and overpowered by his African American Ethos. He uses academic language that is dense, cumbersome, and dull. Clearly this book is geared towards graduate students and academics, but I would argue that words like "literati," "shibboleth," and "heteroglossia," impede any reader's understanding of the text, instead of aiding it. I also felt frustrated with the fact that black voice was discussed and experimented with, but never defined. I understand that according to Holmes this definition is an impossibility, but I did not feel like the book brought me any closer an understanding of the concepts of black voice and African American Ethos. It seemed to me that Holmes raised many questions, about racialized voice, but did not provide many answers. It seemed to me that he remains content to encourage students to find their own way of constructing ethos, by exploring race rhetorically on their own. Frankly, I still have many unanswered questions about voice, and I feel ill-prepared for my next "revisit."
Summary: Revisiting
Rating: 4
The intent of Dr. David Holmes book, Revisiting Racialized Voice African American Ethos in Language and Literature is to bring attention the construction of the African American ethos. He challenges us to revisit the metaphor of the "Black voice." He examines the codification in the use of literary concepts such as "voice" and "race." Both terms are vague in definition but in some ways have been defined within the American culture. However, Dr. Holmes also looks at them rhetorically. He uses several authors such as: Frederick Douglass, Emerson, Francis Harper, Charles Chesnutt, W.E.B. DuBois, Zora Neale Hurston, and others when examining this notion of the "black voice." By examining these authors he is explicating what constitutes "Blackness." He critiques their use of the black voice drawing upon their intended and unintended establishment and use of the "Black voice," while at the same time, taking into account that race and voice are both influenced by identity, and society.
In chapter one Dr. Holmes questions, "Who authenticates Black voice" (9)? He brings in Fredrick Douglass who as an African American wanted to project an American voice more so than the Black voice, even though for many he was known as the "Black voice." Douglass was in the same realm of oratory as White men, but there was still this notion of his "Blackness" being projected in his works. Dr. Holmes deals with the historical and social construct of race in this chapter. He sets up the racialized image. The literary is linked with race and thus-it is hard for many African Americans to transcend race in the literary field because they are so inextricably linked.
Chapters two through five deal with the notion of race and voice being elusive and culturally charged. He asks, "What constitutes 'blackness'" (26)? He examines the usage of African American vernacular English (AAVE). He also deals with the notion of identity throughout the Harlem Renaissance. He shows critical shifts in Black identity that signify the projection of "Black Voice." Also, in Chapter three, he focuses on Charles Chesnutt's approach at reconsidering the racialized voice. This was due partially to him being of mixed blood. Holmes indicates that the personal may influence the projection of rhetorical ethos, that "...racialization is complex" (52). Even through characters in a piece authors may construct a certain type of racial identity, whether intended or unintended. W.E.B. Du Bois also dealt with the ambiguousness of racial identity. Du Bois's personal and intellectual tension challenged the composition of race. Both authors brought to light the tensions of European and African American identity and culture. In chapter five, he introduces Zora Neale Hurston into this discussion as a sort of middle grounds for analysis.
I consider chapter six to be the explicatory chapter that sizes up all of Dr. Holmes critiques and conclusions. He speaks directly to his audience. He explores the overlapping of Western and African influence in the African American Culture. He concedes that race and voice are heavily influenced by outside exposure. At the same time, he proposes that students be exposed to the rhetoric of African American folk tradition beyond the historical context but also rhetorically as well.
In Revisiting Racialized Voice African American Ethos in Language and Literature, Dr. Holmes presents Black voice as a "slippery metaphor." In the projection of the "Black voice" he finds there is this certain irony that renders reason to revisit certain authors and literature. In writing this book he is engaging and challenging the "Black voice" while establishing his own individual ethos. He is showing that as a Black writer, even he cannot really define or solidify the "Black voice." But at the same time, he has a personal voice. This book is clearly written for the scholarly crowd.
The Genius of Language: Observations for Teachers: Six Lectures (With Added Notes)
By Rudolf Steiner
* Publisher:Anthroposophic Press
* Number Of Pages:144
* Publication Date:1995-05-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0880103868
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780880103862
Product Description:
During the first year of the first Waldorf school, Rudolf Steiner agreed to give a science course to the teachers, which was to be on the nature of light. At the last minute, he was asked to give an additional course on language, which he improvised. "The Genius of Language" is the result.
Steiner demonstrates how history and psychology together form the different languages and how ideas, images, and vocabulary travel through time within various cultural streams. He describes how the power to form language has declined, but that we can still recover the seed of language, the penetration of sound by meaning.
He also explains how consonants imitate outer phenomena, whereas vowels convey a more inner sense of events; he talks about the differentiation of language as it is influenced by geography; he speaks of the "folk soul" element and the possibility of "wordless thinking"; we hear about the capacity of language to transform us and of its importance to our spiritual lives.
This is not just a course on language for those who love words but demonstrates ways to teach children. This little book will prove tremendously valuable to both educators and parents-in fact, to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of language and its significance for our lives.
The Literacy Game: The Story of the National Literacy Strategy
By Stannard ; Huxf
* Publisher:Routledge
* Number Of Pages:210
* Publication Date:2007-07-16
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0415417007
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780415417006
* Binding:Hardcover
Product Description:
Containing invaluable insights from the original director of the National Literary Strategy (NLS) and its director of training, this book provides the only systematic exploration of the reform programme.
A vital introduction and critical appraisal for pracititioners and students, The Literacy Game examines the origins, evolution and impact of the NLS, and provides a fully comprehensive contribution to the teaching of literacy and the management of educational change.
This illuminating text:
* sets out the political background and context to literacy education in England over a decade from 1996 to 2006
* explains and appraises the rationale and design underpinning the NLS, thereby rebutting some of the folk-lore that has built up around it
* provides an example of the principles and practices of large-scale system change
* links the NLS to wider global research on system change and educational reform
* evaluates the contribution of the NLS in advancing knowledge of the literacy curriculum in English and the development of pedagogy as a whole
* considers the impact and consequences of the NLS on standards of literacy.
The Literacy Game is an enlightening book which will appeal to all policy makers and academics who are keen to know what did and did not work in the NLS and why.
How Language Comes to Children: From Birth to Two Years
By Bénédicte deBoysson-Bardies
* Publisher: The MIT Press
* Number Of Pages: 290
* Publication Date: 2001-02-19
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0262541254
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780262541251
* Binding: Paperback
Amazon.com:
Some say that children should be seen and not heard, but it turns out that might not be for the best. Bénédicte de Boysson-Bardies, director of research in the Experimental Psychology Laboratory at the Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, goes beyond folk wisdom to tell the real story in How Language Comes to Children. Her 20 years of experience conducting research on young children's language acquisition shine through on each page, as her writing (and Malcolm DeBevoise's expert translation) perfectly captures the essence of the data and why it should be important to caretakers.
Did you know that a fetus in the womb can differentiate sounds and voices with delicate sensitivity? That cultural differences strongly influence how--and whether--mothers hear their children's first words? Modern linguistic theory tells us that we are all born with the pre-programmed capacity to learn language, but that our early experiences fill in the details of vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. How we get from wailing at 2 a.m. to gossiping over coffee at 10 a.m. is all the more intriguing for the wildly different (but parallel) paths we all take to get there. How Language Comes to Children is a fantastically engaging field guide to everyone's first journey. --Rob Lightner
Book Description:
That children learn to speak so skillfully at a young age has long fascinated adults. Most children virtually master their native tongue even before learning to tie their shoelaces. The ability to acquire language has historically been regarded as a "gift"--a view given scientific foundation only in the present century by Noam Chomsky's theory of "universal grammar," which posits an innate knowledge of the principles that structure all languages.
In this delightful, accessible book, psycholinguist Bénédicte de Boysson-Bardies presents a broad picture of language development, from fetal development to the toddler years, and examines a wide range of puzzling questions: How do newborns recognize elements of speech? How do they distinguish them from nonspeech sounds? How do they organize and analyze them? How do they ultimately come to understand and reproduce these sounds? Finally, how does the ability to communicate through language emerge in children? Boysson-Bardies also addresses questions of particular interest to parents, such as whether one should speak to children in a special way to facilitate language learning and whether there is cause to worry when a twenty-month-old child does not yet speak. Although the author provides a clear summary of the current state of language acquisition theory, the special appeal of the book lies in her research and "dialogue" with her many young subjects.
Cheerio Tom, Dick and Harry: Despatches from the Hospice of Fading Words
By Ruth Wajnryb
* Publisher:Allen & Unwin
* Number Of Pages:288
* Publication Date:2008-09-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:1741149932
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9781741149937
* Binding:Paperback
Product Description:
Written with charm and quaint
Thesaurus of Traditional English Metaphors
By P.R. Wilkinson
* Publisher: Routledge
* Number Of Pages: 928
* Publication Date: 2002-08-02
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0415276853
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780415276856
* Binding: Hardcover
* Publisher:Routledge
* Publication Date:2002-06-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0203219856
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780203219850
Product Description:
The second edition of this fascinating collection of traditional metaphors includes over 1500 new entries, as well as more information on first known usages and more ways to find entries. It will appeal to cultural historians, dialectologists, folklorists and language enthusiasts alike.
Metaphors are taken to include a variety of figurative meanings such as similes, proverbs, idioms, slang and catchphrases, though literary metaphors are avoided. The author draws particularly on his extensive contact with the rural cultures of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Dorset and Cornwall. Expressions from Scotland, North America and Australia and other parts of the English-speaking world are also included. The book thus provides an overview of folklore and folk wisdom as reflected in figurative expressions.
Entries are arranged under a highly original scheme following the old cherrystone rhyme 'Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief' with the additional categories 'at home' 'at school and 'at play'. Entries can be found using either the Index of Themes or the Index of Keywords.
History of Lingus (v. 4)
By Lepschy
* Publisher:Addison Wesley Publishing Company
* Number Of Pages:464
* Publication Date:1998-03
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0582294770
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780582294776
Product Description:
This fourth volume in a five-part study, shows how linguistics came into its own as an independent discipline separated from philosophical and literary studies and enjoyed an intellectual and institutional success tied to the research ethos of the new universities, until it became a model for other humanistic subjects which aimed at "scientific status". The linguistics of the 19th century abandon earlier theoretical discussions in favour of a more empirical and historical approach, using new methods to compare and to investigate their history.
Five-Minute Activities: A Resource Book of Short Activities (Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers)
By Penny Ur, Andrew Wright
* Publisher:Cambridge University Press
* Number Of Pages:117
* Publication Date:1992-03-27
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0521394791
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780521394796
Product Description:
Five Minute Activities is a collection of over 100 ideas for the foreign language classroom, all of which can be used effectively with little or no preparation. The collection offers a convenient reference for established activities and an introduction to a large number of new ones. The activities can vary pace and content, provide transitions, and otherwise contribute to the "well-orchestrated" lesson; give an opportunity for brief review and practice of vocabulary or grammar; help students and teacher to get to know each other; and offer extra material when a teacher has to fill in for a colleague at short notice. Though many of the activities are enjoyable and game-like, they are not mere "fillers" but genuine language-learning procedures, whose use can contribute significantly to the learning value of lessons and to the interest and enjoyment of students. The activities can be used at various levels of proficiency.
Summary: Endlessly useful
Rating: 5
I taught adult EFL in Poland this summer, and this book was the most popular by far with all the teachers. Even if you don't use an activity straight out of the book, flipping through helped me generate ideas of my own. Yes, it very much depends on your students, class size, level, etc.--but what's new about that? The activities range from the true quickie "filler" to sound ideas on practicing grammar points. And yes, I did have to adapt most of the ideas, but that's nothing new either. It's pricey, but I think worth it.
Summary: Ideas, but they are few and obvious
Rating: 2
I only found one idea that I'd consider using in this book. It's thin for $25.00 and the activities are largely variants on very simple ideas I've already seen in fifty other places. I don't think you need this book unless you really have no ideas at all, in which case it's as good as any other book.
Summary: Useful
Rating: 3
I have already used some of the activities in class.
Oriented more to high school, and I have early college ESL
Summary: I take exception for its usefulness for EVERY teaching situation...
Rating: 5
This book has been of limited usefullness for me. I've found only a few activities in here that would be practical for my classes of 40 Korean middle schoolers, but I also believe I'm in a bit of an unusual situation trying to teach English to such big classes. That being said, I did find it useful for, if nothing else, getting my own ideas rolling. I would also like to add that it's rather pricey for a flimsy little book, but I'm sure that if my situation were different it would have been well worth the money. I can pretty much recommend it to everyone EXCEPT those with unusually large class sizes, but it would be good for them too if they could find it used. Otherwise there are good resources to be found online for free.
Summary: Good Activity Resource Book
Rating: 4
This book contains many quick activities that require little preparation. It's a good tool for use in the EFL classroom. Many of the activities seem geared for middle school and up, though they can be easily adapted for elementary students. This book would be quicker to use if the activities were marked as appropriate for beginner, intermediate and advanced at the beginning of the description.
Shakespeare's Language: A Glossary of Unfamiliar Words in His Plays and Poems,2nd Rev.Edition (Facts on File Library of World Literature)
By Eugene F. Shewmaker
* Publisher:Facts on File
* Number Of Pages:628
* Publication Date:2008-01-31
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:081607125X
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780816071258
Product Description:
Rife with arcane references, unfamiliar expressions, and words of his own invention, Shakespeare's texts can intimidate even the most learned reader. "Shakespeare's Language, Second Edition" is a comprehensive and straightforward guide to the ornate and sometimes bewildering language that may be unfamiliar to today's readers of Shakespeare's plays and poetry.This revised and updated edition contains more than 17,000 definitions - more than 2,000 of which are new - from the adjective "chop-fallen" in "Hamlet" to the verb "beshrew" in "Much Ado About Nothing". It also features an all-new chapter, "Introduction to Shakespeare and His Language," which provides essential background on Shakespeare's life and works, as well as an in-depth discussion of how modern readers can approach his works in order to best understand and enjoy them.Entries feature: definitions of words as they are used in the texts; a Shakespearean quote placing each defined word or phrase in context; the word's part of speech; and, variant usages. Coverage includes geographical references, historical and mythological figures, and foreign-language expressions.
Summary: Excellent background material
Rating: 5
A wonderful reference. You should have this by your side when reading the bard. It will give you fresh insights if you are rereading old favorites.
Summary: New Edition of Shakespeare Book
Rating: 5
Since I did this book, I naturally think it's pretty hot stuff. But you're showing the Gwyneth Paltrow edition. That was the first edition. As of last May there's a new edition with a different cover. New material (now 17,000 definitions), added Introduction to Shakespeare and His Language. Library Journal gave it a "Highly Recommended" (4/15/08). Check it out.
Summary: Convenient, comprehensive glossary.
Rating: 5
As Shewmaker points out, the reader of Shakespeare is often stymied by unfamiliar, archaic, or confusing words in the texts of the great master, and if footnotes are given, they are often at the rear of the book, disrupting the reader's concentration and making difficult what should be a pleasure.
The editor/compiler has consulted the leading texts and interpreters to provide 15,000 of these words and phrases to include the definition, the quote placing it in context, geographical references, foreign-language expressions, and the mythological allusions which are so much a part the richness of Shakespeare's works and our cultural heritage.
Highly recommended as the essential companion for anyone seeking the immeasurable pleasures of Shakespeare.
(The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)
Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction
By Robert S.P. Beekes
* Publisher:John Benjamins Publishing Co
* Number Of Pages:380
* Publication Date:1995-07
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:9027221502
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9789027221506
Product Description:
This introduction to Comparative Indo-European linguistics starts with a presentation of the languages of the family and a discussion of the culture and origin of the Indo-Europeans. It covers the nature of language change and the methods of reconstruction of older language stages, with many examples provided from the Indo-European languages. A full description is given of the sound changes, which makes it possible to follow the origins of the different Indo-European languages step by step. This is followed by a discussion of the development of all the morphological categories of proto-Indo-European linguistics.
Summary: Probably the worst handbook of comparative Indo-European linguistics yet
Rating: 2
COMPARATIVE INDO-EUROPEAN LINGUISTICS: An Introduction is Robert Beekes' contribution to the growing amount of modern handbooks on the painstaking reconstruction of the parent of so many languages of Europe and Western Asia. Unfortunately, I found that Beekes' is one of the least satisfactory books among this new batch.
Problems abound here. The book was translated from Dutch, but apparently native-speaker proofreaders were few, because the book abounds with bizarre phrasing and unnatural constructions. All Greek words are transliterated instead of presented in their native alphabet, which is really annoying to any reader used to the language. Beekes' transcription does not distinguish between syllabic and non-syllabic resonants. The book also seems somewhat hastily put together. By the end of the book, Beekes realizes that he has not treated Albanian, so he mentions it in an appendix instead of expanding the main content. The Bagani hoax is presented as fact on one page, and only on the next does the reader see in a postscript that the whole thing was made up. Illustrations are all lumped together in the back instead of shown in context.
I can say only a couple of good things about the book. Beekes has embraced laryngeal theory wholeheartedly--in fact his doctoral thesis in the early days of the 1960s was about reflexes in Greek. So, you don't have to worry about this handbook leaving you out of the loop on the most important discovery in the history of the field, like Szemerenyi's (Oxford University Press). The description of the comparative method is also highly accessible. But in the end the book is a let down.
If you are curious about Indo-European linguistics, there are better resources. If you have already a little linguistic training--basic understanding of phonology and synthetic morphology--try Winfred Lehmann's magisterial THEORETICAL BASES. Readers with little experience to date may enjoy the slow pace of Fortson's INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE. I could recommend this only for those with prior training who want to see what Beekes' personal take on matters is.
Summary: Very useful but disorganized and rather biased
Rating: 3
This book is subtitled "An Introduction"; much better would be "Beekes' Pet Theories". This is *definitely* not suitable as an introduction to PIE and Indo-European linguistics. Even for advanced readers, it does not stand on its own. It assumes that you know all the old handbooks, and so its presentation of information is overcondensed and missing some very important explanations -- e.g. his discussion of accent and ablaut in nouns. Furthermore, the info is often presented in a disorganized manner; it feels like he threw together a bunch of interesting facts and ideas with little sense of how to properly structure such a book. Furthermore, there is NO INDEX of the conventional sort, making it nearly impossible to find the gems scattered throughout this book. (Under "Index" there is a table of contents, an index of English words whose derivations are discussed, and an index of foreign words. No concept index of any sort. No index of PIE words, for that matter.)
In addition, most of the first 100 pages is basically irrelevant and should not be there -- it consists of general discussions of the comparative method and of sound change, analogy, the various language families of the world, and other stuff that belongs in a general book on historical linguistics. This appears to be Beekes' attempt at making this an "introduction", but in fact it just robs him of space he needs in order to better explain stuff in the rest of the book. He throws in other random stuff too, such as a detailed 10-page appendix "From Proto-Indo-European to Albanian", which seems present for no other reason than Beekes wanting to show off some personal work of his. Now if he had bothered to also include other, extremely necessary, stuff such as "From Proto-Indo-European to Greek" (and also Sanskrit, and Latin), I wouldn't begrudge him so much, but he doesn't.
On top of all this, the actual content is quite biased towards his own particular views, which are in many cases not the majority opinion. He seems extremely inclined to take speculative leaps in his reconstructions, which often result in fringe ideas that he asserts to be received wisdom, making no distinction between his own ideas and what is generally accepted. For an "introduction", this is absolutely fatal. Often he will simply make assertions regarding controversial topics without any discussion, e.g. when talking about Grimm's Law, he writes "... and the aspirated sounds have lots their aspiration (the idea that these latter sounds originally were spirants is incorrect)." So in one parenthetical remark he dismisses one of the most controversial issues in Indo-European studies by expressing his opinion as if it were the word of God, no explanation necessary (and none is provided).
Also, often his reasoning is wrong. Much of it is circular (e.g. this `a' cannot be an `a' in PIE because PIE had no a's -- and PIE "had no a's" purely by assumption); much of it is ludicrously speculative, often of the silly kind where "well, pronouns A and B have form 1 in one language and form 2 in another, so it must have been that pronoun A originally had form 1 and B form 2, and each language generalized." Furthermore, he seems to simply not understand the fundamental idea that languages change, in that his reconstructions are a random mix of forms quite obviously from different time periods, and he makes no attempt to separate later from earlier forms or to present any coherent picture at all of early vs. later PIE.
One particular flaw in the "Beekes' pet theory" business is the "glottalic theory". This is *not* in any way, shape or form the conventional wisdom of PIE scholars; it's still a fairly fringy theory, although it's gotten a lot of press. Beekes takes it as gospel. He also falls into the sin of most of today's Chomskyan linguists in adopting certain methods and ideas but using them only when they serve their purposes, and ignoring them when they would cause problems. For example, as part of the glottalic theory he asserts that a voiced (= "pre-glottal") stop behaves exactly like a glottal stop (his h1, first laryngeal) in all its effects -- but only when it helps his derivations, e.g. p. 213. Now, by the same logic, Greek should have `edeka' not `deka' -- but no fear, Beekes invokes the "rule applies only when i want it to" axiom and all is fixed.
Summary: This book *could* be a great book if the author
would strip out the irrelevant stuff; would put in detailed and complete explanations of many of the tricky issues regarding accent, ablaut and other such things; would take out the derivation of Albanian from PIE and put in *ALL-COMPLETELY-100%-REQUIRED* derivations from PIE to Greek, Sanskrit, Latin, and Proto-Germanic, and from Proto-Germanic to Gothic and English. Once again, he needs to do them in an *organized* and comprehensive fashion -- explain all the rules clearly, don't just mix the rules in with the examples; but do keep lots of examples, yes yes yes! would distinguish between his own pet theories and established practice. Since this is an overview, Beekes should concentrate on established practice, and list IT as gospel, not his own views. He should go ahead and give his views as well, but indicate that they are his views. would fix the numerous typos noticed by previous others, and use IPA whenever possible to show the actual pronunciation of words quoted in Old Armenian, Old Irish, Avestan, etc. would watch his argumentation, trying to reduce as much as possible the amount of random speculation and distinguish clearly between newer and older PIE. Maybe some of his speculations are true, but they should clearly be placed in the "earlier Indo-European" stage with question marks and "author's own opinion" marks by them, so the reader can clearly see the situation and the derivation.
All told, there *are* indeed a large number of nuggets you can get out of this book. In particular, he is scrupulous in his use of larnygealized forms for *all* PIE forms that he lists in his book, which really helps to understand this difficult area of PIE linguistics. There's also lots of other goodies about how words are derived, about the system of demonstratives and deictic adverbs and relative pronouns in PIE, the numerals, the various types of substantives, etc. etc. If you have advanced knowledge of this stuff already, this book can help you round out your knowledge and give you lots of goodies to impress your colleagues with; but if you don't already know the stuff well, this book is bad bad.
Summary: Great book, albeit one sees linguistics as a racist plot!
Rating: 5
This is a very good book. I was very shocked to read one review that saw linguistics as a Nazi plot to take over the world.
This book is very useful and I found it easy to follow. It is friendly to the layman.
It gives a lot of comparative linguistic topics and is organized well.
It never left me in the dirt. If I can follow, then the average person can too.
Summary: The rationale for IE lingustics is all wrong
Rating: 1
(...)
The origins of IE linguistics lie in the racist and the imperialst environment of 19th century Europe. A hypothetical language is constructed by ignoring masses of inconvenient linguistic, geological and archaeological evidence. A super race of people are suppseed to have spread this language all over Eurasia. Yet no such language or race has ever been found. The so called linguistic evidence is malleable enough to postulate any homeland.
(...)
Summary: Detailed treatment of important family
Rating: 5
Well written and detailed treatment of Indo-European comparative linguistics, discussing the many grammatical features and lexical similarities that tie this important group of languages together. The Indo-European languages are notable for the complex verb tense system which allows many fine distinctions in discussing time, as opposed to aspect and mood, which other language families excel at. For example, Japanese in the Ural-Altaic group lacks a true future tense, but is much more complex than most Indo-European languages in terms of modal verb constructions (the subjunctive mood is an example of that, for those whose formal grammar is a bit rusty), which express such concepts as probability, conditionality, potential, the attitude of the speaker towards the subject, and so on.
I note the comment one reviewer made here about some typos, but overall, this is an excellent treatment of the subject. It's not exactly a beginner's book, requiring a good foundation in comparative and structural linguistics to read it. If you need to bone up on that before reading this, I would recommend Zellig Harris's classic book, Structural Linguistics, or the chapters on comparative and structural linguistics and grammar in John Lyon's great book, Introduction to Theoretical Linguistics. I can also recommend the amazingly well done articles on comparative linguistics and on the Indo-European family in the Encyclopedia Britannica if you can't get ahold of those, since the Lyons book and possibly Harris's book are out of print.