Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics, Second Edition (Concise Encyclopedias of Language and Linguistics)
By Jacob L. Mey, Keith Brown
* Publisher:Elsevier Science
* Number Of Pages:1180
* Publication Date:2009-09-26
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0080962971
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780080962979
Product Description:
Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics (COPE) 2nd edition is an authoritative single-volume reference resource comprehensively describing the discipline of pragmatics, an important branch of natural language study which deals with the various implied meanings of a given idea imparted in speech.
As a derivative volume from Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics 2nd edition, it comprises contributions from the foremost scholars of semantics in their various specializations and draws on 20+ years of development in the parent work in a compact and affordable format. Principally intended for tertiary level inquiry and research, this will be invaluable as a reference work for undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as academics inquiring into the study of meaning and meaning relations within languages. As pragmatics is a centrally important and inherently cross-cutting area within linguistics it will therefore be relevant not just for meaning specialists, but for most linguistic audiences.
* Edited by Jacob Mey, a leading pragmatics specialist, and authored by experts
* The latest trends in the field authoritatively reviewed and interpreted in context of related disciplines.
* Drawn from the richest, most authoritative, comprehensive and internationally acclaimed reference resource in the linguistics area
* Compact and affordable single volume reference format
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
There are certain activities in our lives that seem to be endlessly repeating themselves: we witness an apparently
endless construction of houses, office buildings, roads and highways, and other infrastructures; there is the
preparation and consumption of foodstuffs; there is the daily maintenance of the quarters we live in; there are
the recurrent activities governing our use of the markets, small and big; and so on and so forth.
Similarly, writing articles and essays may, for some people, seem to have the same repetitive and perhaps even
monotonous character. Still, there is a difference. Writing (or for that matter, all communicative action) is
always directed at a person or group of persons; even the most monologic self-expressing poetry always
addresses somebody (even though, in extreme cases, the audience is restricted to the poet him-or herself). In
addition, the repetitive character of, say, housework may prompt our easy-going consorts to protest against the
making of beds or the cleaning of kitchens, with the motivation that ‘beds have to be made again anyway, so
why not just let them be’, or: ‘dust is going to happen, so why not just adjust ourselves to a lower than needy
standard of cleanliness’. In contrast, activities having to do with communication (in particular, writing) do not
only affect the author (the ‘originator’, or auctor, with an old-fashioned term), but also, and perhaps to an even
higher degree, the ‘end user’: the recipient, in our case, the reader.
But, some reader might object, what has all this to do with the current (concise) encyclopedia of language and
linguistics that I am looking at right now? The answer is that encyclopedias, like all works of letters, presuppose
our cooperation as readers. In and through the act of reading, we align ourselves with the author whose text we
are perusing and with whom we are cooperating. And even though encyclopedias may seem to embody just
what the word means: an all-round paideia (which is the Greek word for ‘upbringing’), to a cursory observer it
may seem that such works only pretend to satisfy an individual’s desire to know a factoid or two, or to delve a
little deeper into a certain area of knowledge. What is often overlooked is the interactive feature that is built into
the very essence of encyclopedic work, no matter how apparently passive in character on the part of the reader.
It is no secret that many encyclopedias have been the forerunners of revolutions, as I pointed out in the Preface
to the first edition of this Concise Encyclopedia. And what I wrote back in 1998 is just as true today as it
was then:
The purpose of an Encyclopedia, according to the original (1750–1769) encyclope磀istes, the French literates and
philosophers Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert, is to enlighten the population in order to make them choose
the right way of leading their lives, free from the encumbrances of false beliefs and authoritarian doctrines. This apparent
innocent and worthy aim had much wider and more profound consequences for society than its proposers could ever have
foreseen, as we now know, with the benefit of historical hindsight. Two hundred years after the American, the French,
and countless other revolutions, the encyclopedia has become a standard household fixture, and it is hard to imagine, by
looking at the impressive, often leather-bound volumes that adorn the bookshelves of better-off households around the
planet, how the original ideals of democratizing enlightenment could have had such strong political, even revolutionary
side effects. (Mey 1998:xxv)
By the double token of being iterative and revolutionary, encyclopedias, while pretending to codify the
knowledge they conserve and propagate, also reflect the societal interaction that is at their base. And this is,
finally, why encyclopedias have to be constantly updated and ‘re-cycled’.
The British author Patrick Leigh Fermor describes, in one of his erudite ‘travelogues’, how he, as a young man
roaming across the old Hapsburg domain, always found solace in the encyclopedias he discovered in the
libraries of the manors and castles to which influential friends had given him introductions. Thus, the traveler
found himself ‘‘poring over Meyers Konversationslexikon’’ during his stay at a castle in Rumania, while trying
to update his knowledge of Central European history (Hungarian and Transylvanian in particular; Leigh
Fermor 2005: 101)—in more or less the same way that I, in an earlier period of my life and some twenty
years later, helped by Meyer, familiarized myself with the beautiful railway stations and city halls that had once
adorned cities like Metz and Strasbourg in what had been the (then) German Reichsland Elsass-Lothringen.
I recall the historic frisson I experienced, due in part to the fact that many of those magnificent building had long
since fallen prey to the combined forces of war and regressive architectural ideologies, posing as progressive
notions.
The ‘melancholy of art’, melanconia dell’arte, that I perceived contrasted with the urgent need to move on
with history, in the same way as it happened for the English author years ago, during a journey through a
landscape that was in continuous flux, always on the brink of disappearing into the local and historical horizon,
only experienced by ‘being there’, in real life or in the vicarious existence of an encyclopedia, and by moving
ahead in an irreversible, and in a way perverse, penetration.
As far as pragmatics is concerned, such a journey provides us with an apt metaphor, both with regard to the
landscape traveled and to the various intellectual landmarks and influences encountered there. It seems safe to
say that the pragmatic landscape is not only in flux, but that its movements and tendencies have steadily
accelerated their courses. Thus, from a humble beginning at the remote outposts of philosophy and linguistic
semantics, pragmatics has developed into a vast realm where often conflicting theories and practices reign—just
as it was the case for our Brit, traveling the always unruly and undefinable territories that at one time were
loosely integrated components of the Austrian-Hungarian kaiserliche und ko¨ nigliche twin monarchy, the
‘‘k.u.k. Doppelmonarchie’’, from the years before the Great War. But also, just as it is not only interesting,
but useful for us to learn about happenings in those parts in the twilight between the two world wars, and
confront them with the situation as it has evolved and especially as it is present to our minds today, so too is it
useful, nay necessary, for us to reflect on the developments of our discipline ever since the days of John L. Austin
and his burgeoning speech act theory. And in this respect, the new (second, 2006) edition of the mother volume
to the present work, the Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics along with its present, concise offshoot,
seem to be timely undertakings.
If one were to ask what in particular has changed since those early times, the answer may be that pragmatics
has become a ‘discipline’ in its own right, rather than a somewhat ill-defined by-product of other branches of
language studies. The notorious ‘wastebasket of semantics’ comes to mind: an expression due to Yehoshua Bar-
Hillel, who considered pragmatics more or less as uncharted territory, a bit like those Western expanses in
America where a man still could do whatever he wanted to do and get away with it, as no rules or regulations
had yet been invented to provide law-based security and establish rule-driven well-formedness. In contrast, we
observe a trend towards what could be called a ‘legalization’ of pragmatics, starting in its earlier development
and continuing until the present day. Even though it still is too early to speak of a unified scientific discipline (a
term which may more properly be applied to other branches of linguistics, such as phonetics or syntax), there is
no doubt that pragmatics, as a discipline, has come into its own.
It would be wrong, however, to consider the growth and deployment of pragmatics as a science uniquely as a
‘breaking away’ from older disciplines like semantics or syntax. Rather, the development that led to the rise of
pragmatics started as a linguistics-internal movement (inspired by the philosophy of language of the Austinian
type), whose ultimate endpoint could not be foreseen (and, as many will say, is still out of sight and reach).
Whereas, on the one hand, certain developments in pragmatics may have been triggered by the descriptive
aporias and insufficiencies involved in purely semantic or even syntactic ways of considering language, on the
other it is equally true that many modern pragmaticists gathered their inspiration from outside the realm of
linguistics proper.
The two streams in this development: an ‘intralinguistic’ one, dealing with descriptive and explanatory
questions from a linguistics-internal point of view, and an ‘extralinguistic’ one, emphasizing the social character
of the language user and the language used, while insisting on the use of language as a defining feature of
pragmatics, often seemed to be on a collision course, yet at other times were able to negotiate a peaceful
coexistence. In particular, when one looks at some of the recent developments in pragmatics (some of which the
present encyclopedia has only just begun to chart), it becomes clear that the two streams, or tendencies, have
much to tell one another. Not only does the ‘purely’ syntactic or semantic approach not suffice, when we are
vi Preface to the second edition
dealing with typical pragmatic phenomena (such as the manipulative or rhetorical uses of language that ever
since the Sophists have been the hallmark of a pragmatically oriented study of language); in addition, the
internal contradictions that arose from the desire to create a unified matrix, valid for semantic as well as
syntactic description (as, e.g., exemplified in ‘Montague grammar’) have led to the acceptance of what some
have called a ‘pragmatic intrusion’ into semantics (cf., among others, Levinson 2000: 164 et pass.).
For many, the very idea that rules could be given for pragmatic use of language has from the beginning been a
non sequitur: the creative use of language by the individual in a societal environment could only be circumscribed
by the classical, individual-based methods of linguistics, not defined (Mey 2002: 183). Instead,
pragmatics has from its very inception promoted the development of society-oriented approaches, that
is, approaches that take their point of departure in what is or can be out there, in the social context surrounding
us, and then intrapolate these realities and possibilities onto the actual situation in which the language user himor
herself is involved. Such approaches contrast starkly with the well-known efforts by theoretical linguists,
traditional sociolinguists, and other social scientists to first define the ‘said’, and then try to figure out what the
conditions are that make a particular utterance ‘correct’ or ‘acceptable’.
In all these cases, there is a certain ‘ecological’ principle at work, by which users endeavor to maximize their
results with minimal efforts, while respecting their linguistic and social environments. This ‘ecological turn’ has
inspired such differing tendencies as, on the one hand, relevance theory, and by what has been called ‘default
semantics’ on the other (cf. Jaszczolt 2005 and the article by that name in this volume). Similarly, we have been
witness to the rise of ‘optimality theory’ in its various versions—this latter approach is still in its infancy and
has not yet reached acceptance in most of the ‘border territories’ (even so, the present work does have an
article outlining some notions and possible approaches, cf. the eponymous article presented in the body of this
volume).
Other recent developments have resulted in psycholinguistic excursus (or should I say: ‘excursions’, to remain
in the traveling metaphor?). Here, one finds a number of articles dealing with developmental aspects of
pragmatics (the psycholinguistic view) or approaches that are oriented towards cognitive psychology (as in
‘cognitive pragmatics’). More generally, the cognitive approach itself, originally considered as an extension of
epistemic and psychological ways of looking at language use, has come into its own as well, leading to a whole
flurry of writings on venerable notions such as metaphor and metonymy, not to forget the return to ‘classical’,
speech act-based ideas—first of all the concept of the speech act itself and its conditions, injecting them with
new interpretations of the time-honored Searlean and Austinian conditions and restrictive maxims, including
further extended notions, such as that of ‘flouting a maxim’ (on which see the article of that name, this volume).
The idea that language belongs, not only to a particular culture or country, but also to the speakers
themselves, has gained some momentum in the past decades. Thus, the understanding that not everything
linguistic is accessible to everybody at all times, and neither to everybody in the same (legally sanctioned)
fashion, has given rise to speculations about accessibility in language, and to what has been called ‘territory of
information’; see, e.g., the article on ‘accessibility theory’ in this volume, or the writings of Akio Kamio (1994,
1995, 1997) and recent work by John Heritage (2007). To express one’s condolences, for instance (to take
Heritage’s example), presupposes that one has the correct ‘stance’ in regard to the ‘condolee’. More generally,
all speech acting on principle belongs to society, and is only derivatively made possible through the language
user’s active participation in that society—ideas that have been around ever since the eighties (see Mey 1985),
and which have lately come to fruition in my theory of ‘pragmatic acts’ (on which see the article of that name in
the current volume; compare also Mey 2008).
The idea that language use and linguistic activities in general (either in the phonetic, syntactic, semantic, or
pragmatic realm) obey some kind of ‘law of least effort’ has been fruitfully mined not only by the protagonists of
relevance theory, but also in a more general way by the defenders of optimal, rather than maximal, solutions to
linguistic problems.What this means is that rather than abiding by some strict rules (like those that allow one to
say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to questions of grammaticality), the thought that an optimal solution often consists in accepting
a certain deviation from strict standards has taken hold in the sciences of the human over the past decades.
Early on, the psychologists started to operate with a notion of ‘prototype’, meaning: a concept with fuzzy
edges all around; and in pragmatics, the suggestion that conditions are more optimally construed as constraints
on the environment than as production rules binding the individual user, has gained considerable popularity.
While a fully fledged theory of ‘optimality’ is something that we will have to wait (and work) for (as I remarked
above), we may observe, at the interfaces between pragmatics and the other linguistic areas, an ever growing
trend towards voluntary collaboration, rather than towards unification under some stringent formal umbrella.
Given the newness of such approaches, there are only a few articles in the present volume that reflect this
Preface to the second edition vii
tendency; had there been more time, and had the selection process been less restricted (viz., practically to the
original articles in the fourteen mother volumes of 2006), more current work might have been made available.
One issue still bothers the compiler of the present volume, as it did with regard to its 1998 predecessor. It is an
issue familiar to all who have ever tried to produce a conspectus-type, work-oriented overview of some area of
knowledge. The dilemma of choosing between an alphabetical sequencing of contributions versus an hierarchical,
thematically-based division of the field has bothered dictionary and encyclopedia makers for as long as their
works have been around. The great encyclope磀istes of the 18th century, whom I quoted earlier, opted for a strict
alphabetical order; while I am not privy to their motivations, I can imagine that ease of access must have been
one of them.
One is reminded of the often occurring situation where an opportunistic, ‘seniority’-based order wins out over
a logical one for the simple reason that logics are not universal. Compare the nightmare of those medieval
philosophers who tried to capture the whole world under one metaphysical hat; closer to home, one needs only
to think of the familiar situation where keys and other important items become practically impossible to find
because the owner (often identical with the original depositor) no longer is certain which logic has guided his or
her movements while putting away the object in question. Most techniques of object (and knowledge) retrieval
operate by a logic of local associations: where did I go first, where from there, and so on. The alphabet provides
us with an easy to remember, neutral sequence where everything has its place in a mostly universally accepted
order; and this logic is what I have decided to follow also in the present volume.
It has been said by the famous Dr. Samuel Johnson (whose doctoral dignity seems to have been more honorific
than acquired by hard work) that ‘‘dictionaries are like watches: the worst is better than none and the best
cannot be expected to go quite true’’ (in Mrs. Piozzi’s Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson). Applying this
dictum to the present work and its generic characteristics, one could say that encyclopedias, despite their
recognized usefulness, never will achieve the mandate that is inherent in their title, viz. to give a full conspectus
of an entire discipline or area of knowledge, let alone of the human knowledge in toto.
But even a more modest effort, as represented by the present, concise work, may be useful in giving us the time
of day in more than one sense: not just telling us what is going on, but discuss it (through the voices of the
articles’ authors) in an intelligent and accessible fashion. If this should happen in the case of the present work, its
compiler may have escaped the common doom of all compilers, embodied in the universal tension between that
which is attainable and that which should be attained. And with these reservations in mind, I want to give the
book my best wishes on its way to the reading public, and say: I liber ‘Book, go forth’! May your travel be as
happy, and lead to as many interesting encounters, as was the case for the audacious young Englishman, whose
peripeties inspired me while I was writing these lines.
Jacob L. Mey
Austin, Texas
9 February 2009
References
Heritage, John. 2007. ‘Territories of knowledge, territories of experience: (Not so) empathic moments in interaction’.
Keynote speech at the XVth Symposium About Language and Society Austin (SALSA). Austin, Tex., April 14, 2007.
Kamio, Akio. 1994. ‘The theory of territory of information: The case of Japanese’. Journal of Pragmatics 21(1): 67–100.
Kamio, Akio. 1995. ‘Territory of information in English and Japanese and psychological utterances’. Journal of Pragmatics
24(3): 235–264.
Kamio. Akio. 1997. Theory of territory of information. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. (Pragmatics and
Beyond, Vol. 48).
Leigh Fermor, Patrick. 2006. Between the woods and the water. New York: New York Review Books.
Levinson, Stephen C. 2000. Presumptive Meanings. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Jaszczolt, Katarzyna M. 2005. Default Semantics: Foundation of a compositional theory of acts of communication. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Mey, Jacob L. 1985. Whose language? A study in linguistic pragmatics. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Mey, Jacob L. 1998 (ed.). Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics. Oxford: Elsevier.
Mey, Jacob L. 2001. Pragmatics: An introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.
Mey, Jacob L. 2008. ‘Impeach or exorcise?’ or, What’s in the common ground? Kecskes, Istvan & Mey, Jacob L. (eds.),
Intention, Common Ground and the Egocentric Speaker-Hearer. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 255–276.
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ARTICLES
Accessibility Theory
Activity Theory
Adaptability in Human-Computer Interaction
Addressivity
Anthropology and Pragmatics
Applying Pragmatics
Austin, John L.
Bakhtin, Mikhail Mikhailovich
Bilingual Education
Bilingualism
Bilingualism and Second Language Learning
Bruner, Jerome Seymour
Bu¨ hler, Karl
Class Language
Classroom Talk
Code Switching
Codes, Elaborated and Restricted
Cognitive Pragmatics
Cognitive Technology
Comics, Pragmatic Aspects of
Communication: Semiotic Approaches
Communicative Competence
Communicative Language Teaching
Communicative Principle and Communication
Communities of Practice
Computer Literacy
Conspicuity
Constraint, Pragmatic
Context and Common Ground
Context, Communicative
Conversation Analysis
Conversational Agents: Synthetic
Conversational Analytic Approaches to Culture
Cooperative Principle
Critical Applied Linguistics
Critical Discourse Analysis
Cultural and Social Dimension of
Spoken Discourse
Default Semantics
Deixis and Anaphora: Pragmatic Approaches
Dialogism, Bakhtinian
Discourse Anaphora
Discourse Markers
Discourse Processing
Discourse, Foucauldian Approach
Discourse, Narrative and Pragmatic Development
Discrimination and Language
Discursive Practice Theory
Education in a Multilingual Society
Educational Linguistics
E-mail, Internet, Chatroom Talk: Pragmatics
Emancipatory Linguistics
Endangered Languages
Environment and Language
Evolution of Pragmatics
Face
Family Speak
Fillmore, Charles J.
Formulaic Language
Foucault, Michel
Frege, Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob
Freire, Paulo
Gender and Language
Gender and Political Discourse
Genre and Genre Analysis
Genres in Political Discourse
Gesture and Communication
Gesture: Sociocultural Analysis
Gestures: Pragmatic Aspects
Goffman, Erving
Grice, Herbert Paul
Guillaume, Gustave
Habermas, Ju¨ rgen
Halliday, Michael Alexander Kirkwood
Hill, Jane
Historical Pragmatics
History of Pragmatics
Humor in Language
Humor: Stylistic Approaches
Iconicity
Identity and Language
Identity in Sociocultural Anthropology and Language
Identity: Second Language
Implicature
Indexicality: Theory
Institutional Talk
Interactional Sociolinguistics
Intercultural Pragmatics and Communication
Internet and Language Education
Irony
Irony: Stylistic Approaches
Jakobson, Roman
Language Attitudes
Language Change and Cultural Change
Language Education for Endangered Languages
Language Education: Language Awareness
Language in Computer-Mediated Communication
Language Maintenance and Shift
Language Planning and Policy: Models
Language Policy in Multinational Educational
Contexts
Language Politics
Language Socialization
Language Teaching Traditions: Second Language
Languages for Specific Purposes
Languages of Wider Communication
Law and Language: Overview
Legal Pragmatics
Linguistic Anthropology
Linguistic Decolonialization
Linguistic Habitus
Linguistic Rights
Literacy Practices in Sociocultural Perspective
Literary Pragmatics
Literary Theory and Stylistics
Lying, Honesty, and Promising
Marxist Theories of Language
Maxims and Flouting
Media and Language: Overview
Media, Politics and Discourse Interactions
Media: Pragmatics
Medical Communication: Professional-Lay
Metaphor: Philosophical Theories
Metaphor: Psychological Aspects
Metaphor: Stylistic Approaches
Metaphors and Conceptual Blending
Metaphors in Political Discourse
Metapragmatics
Metonymy
Migration and Language
Minorities and Language
Minority Languages: Oppression
Mitigation
Morphopragmatics
Morris, Charles
Multiculturalism and Language
Narrative: Sociolinguistic Research
Narrativity and Voice
Native Speaker
Natural Language Interfaces
Neo-Gricean Pragmatics
Newspeak
Oracy Education
Orality
Ordinary Language Philosophy
Organizational Speech
Participatory Research and Advocacy
Peirce, Charles Sanders
Phonetics and Pragmatics
Politeness
Politeness Strategies as Linguistic Variables
Politics and Language: Overview
Politics of Teaching
Power and Pragmatics
Pragmatic Acts
Pragmatic Determinants of What Is Said
Pragmatic Indexing
Pragmatic Presupposition
Pragmatics and Semantics
Pragmatics of Reading
Pragmatics: Linguistic Imperialism
Pragmatics: Optimality Theory
Pragmatics: Overview
Principles and Rules
Proxemics
Psycholinguistics: History
Psycholinguistics: Overview
Queer Talk
Reading and Multiliteracy
Reference: Psycholinguistic Approach
Reference: Semiotic Theory
Reflexivity
Register: Overview
Relevance Theory
Reported Speech: Pragmatic Aspects
Rhetoric: History
Rhetoric: Semiotic Approaches
Rhetorical Structure Theory
Rhetorical Tropes in Political Discourse
Sacks, Harvey
Sapir, Edward
Scaffolding in Classroom Discourse
Second and Foreign Language Learning and Teaching
Second Language Listening
Semantic Change: the Internet and Text Messaging
Semantics-Pragmatics Boundary
xvi Alphabetical List of Articles
Shared Knowledge
Sibata, Takesi
Sign Language: Overview
Sign Languages of the World
Sign Languages: Discourse and Pragmatics
Sign Languages: Semiotic Approaches
Silence
Social Aspects of Pragmatics
Social Class and Status
Social-Cognitive Basis of Language Development
Socialization
Socialization: Second Language
Society and Language: Overview
Sociolect/Social Class
Sociolinguistics and Political Economy
Speech Accommodation Theory and Audience
Design
Speech Act Verbs
Speech Acts
Speech Acts and Grammar
Speech Acts, Classification and Definition
Speech Acts, Literal and Nonliteral
Speech and Language Community
Speech and Thought: Representation of
Spoken Discourse: Types
Stylistics
Stylistics: Pragmatic Approaches
Syntax–Pragmatics Interface: Overview
Systemic Theory
Tacit Knowledge
Tannen, Deborah
Telephone Talk
Text and Text Analysis
Text World Theory
Thetic–Categorial Distinction
Topic and Comment
Translation, Pragmatics
Traugott, Elizabeth
Understanding Spoken Discourse
Use Theories of Meaning
Use versus Mention
Voloshinov, Valentin Nikolaevich
Vygotskij, Lev Semenovich
Whorf, Benjamin Lee
Wierzbicka, Anna
Wittgenstein, Ludwig Josef Johann
Word and Image
Writing and Cognition
Tense, Aspect, and Indexicality (Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics)
By James Higginbotham
* Publisher:Oxford University Press, USA
* Number Of Pages:288
* Publication Date:2009-11-23
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0199239320
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780199239320
Product Description:
James Higginbotham's work on tense, aspect, and indexicality discusses the principles governing demonstrative, temporal, and indexical expressions in natural language and presents new ideas in the semantics of sentence structure. The book brings together his key contributions to the fields, including his recent intervention in the debate on the roles of context and anaphora in reference. The book's chapters are presented in the form in which they were first published, with afterwords where needed to cover points where the author's thought has developed. It is fully indexed and has a collated bibliography. This will be a precious resource for all those involved in the study of current semantics, and its interactions with syntactic theory, in linguistics, philosophy, and related fields.
Language Engineering
By Hristo Georgiev
* Publisher:Continuum
* Number Of Pages:310
* Publication Date:2007-04-22
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0826482945
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780826482945
Product Description:
"Language Engineering" examines the processes involved in dictionary-making using computational linguistics, including tagging, parsing, spell-checking, lexical semantics and machine translation. The book examines dictionary-building in English, but also includes appendices applying natural language processing to French and German. This book is the first detailed description of syntax and semantics using the C(C++) programming language, and as such should be essential reading for researchers in natural language processing and computational linguistics.
Determiners: Universals and variation (Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today)
By Jila Ghomeshi, Ileana Paul, Martina Wiltschko
* Publisher:John Benjamins Publishing Company
* Number Of Pages:247
* Publication Date:2009-10-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:902725530X
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9789027255303
Product Description:
This volume brings together recent work on the formal and interpretational properties of determiners across a variety of typologically and geographically unrelated languages. It seeks to answer the core question of modern linguistic theory: Which properties of languages are universal and which are variable? In recent theorizing, much of language variation is argued to stem from differences in the properties of features associated with functional heads. As such, this volume can be viewed as a case study of one such category: the determiner (D). The contributions all investigate the status of D as a language universal by examining the language-specific syntactic and semantic properties associated with this category. This volume will appeal to researchers and students in syntax and semantics, as well as to those who have more a specific interest in determiners and noun phrases.
On Apologising in Negative and Positive Politeness Cultures (Pragmatics & Beyond New Series)
By Eva Ogiermann
* Publisher:John Benjamins Publishing Company
* Number Of Pages:296
* Publication Date:2009-10-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:9027254354
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9789027254351
Product Description:
This book investigates how speakers of English, Polish and Russian deal with offensive situations. It reveals culture-specific perceptions of what counts as an apology and what constitutes politeness. It offers a critical discussion of Brown and Levinson's theory and provides counterevidence to the correlation between indirectness and politeness underlying their theory. Their theory is applied to two languages that rely less heavily on indirectness in conveying politeness than does English, and to a speech act that does not become more polite through indirectness. An analysis of the face considerations involved in apologising shows that in contrast to disarming apologies, remedial apologies are mainly directed towards positive face needs, which are crucial for the restoration of social equilibrium and maintenance of relationships. The data show that while English apologies are characterised by a relatively strong focus on both interlocutors negative face, Polish apologies display a particular concern for positive face. For Russian speakers, in contrast, apologies seem to involve a lower degree of face threat than they do in the other two languages.
The Exploration of Multilingualism: Development of research on L3, multilingualism and multiple language acquisition (Aila Applied Linguistics Series)
By Larissa Aronin, Britta Hufeisen
* Publisher:John Benjamins Publishing Company
* Number Of Pages:167
* Publication Date:2009-10-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:9027205221
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9789027205223
Product Description:
This volume offers the ontogenetic perspective on research on L3, multilingualism and multiple languages acquisition and a conceptually updated picture of multilingualism studies and third/multiple language acquisition studies. The contributions by prominent scholars of multilingualism present state-of-the- art accounts of the significant aspects in this field. This unique collection of articles adopts a broad-spectrum and synthesized view on the topic. The volume, largely theoretical and classificatory, features main theories, prominent researchers and important research trends. The articles also contain factual and historical material from previous and current decades of research and offer practical information on research resources. For lecturers, students, educators, researchers, and social workers operating in multilingual contexts, "The Exploration of Multilingualism" is manifestly relevant.
From Interaction to Symbol: A systems view of the evolution of signs and communication (Iconicity in Language and Literature)
By Piotr Sadowski
* Publisher:John Benjamins Publishing Company
* Number Of Pages:300
* Publication Date:2009-09-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:9027243441
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9789027243447
Product Description:
Sadowski's book offers a comprehensive model of communication based on deductive formulations of systems theory supported by evolutionary thinking. The systems model generates the following types of communication: direct, or contiguous communication, and indirect communication, involving displaced reference, exemplified by indexical, iconic, and symbolic communication. Indexes are physical changes created by a communicator in the environment (e.g. a shadow, a footprint, or a photograph). Iconic communication in turn is based on perceived similarity between sign and referent - a cognitive disposition reflected in art as well as in human tendency to interpret the world in terms of analogies and correspondences. Finally symbols, with their arbitrary connection between sign and referent, underlie the unique communicative phenomenon of human syntactic speech. The distinguished types of communication appear to correspond with the evolutionary sequence of interactions between inanimate.
Language, Memory, and Cognition in Infancy and Early Childhood
By Janette B. Benson, Marshall M. Haith
* Publisher:Academic Press
* Number Of Pages:552
* Publication Date:2009-07-31
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0123750695
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780123750693
Product Description:
Language, cognition, and memory are traditionally studied together prior to a researcher specializing in any one area. They are studied together initially because much of the development of one can affect the development of the others.Most books available now either tend to be extremely broad in the areas of all infant development including physical and social development, or specialize in cognitive development, language acquisition, or memory. Rarely do you find all three together, despite the fact that they all relate to each other. This volumes consists of focused articles from the authoritative Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childood Development, and specifically targets the ages 0-3. Providing summary overviews of basic and cutting edge research, coverage includes attention, assessment, bilingualism, categorization skills, critical periods, learning disabilities, reasoning, speech development, etc. This collection of articles provides an essential, affordable reference for researchers, graduate students, and clinicians interested in cognitive development, language development, and memory, as well as those developmental psychologists interested in all aspects of development.
* Focused content on age 0-3- saves time searching for and wading through lit on full age range for developmentally relevant info
* Concise, understandable, and authoritative-easier to comprehend for immediate applicability in research
A Typology of Purpose Clauses (Typological Studies in Language)
By Karsten Schmidtke-Bode
* Publisher:John Benjamins Publishing Company
* Number Of Pages:229
* Publication Date:2009-10-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:9027206694
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9789027206695
Product Description:
This book presents the first comprehensive typology of purpose clause constructions in the world's languages. Based on a stratified variety sample of 80 languages, it uncovers the unity and diversity of the morphosyntactic means by which purposive relations are coded, and discusses the status of purpose clauses in the syntactic and conceptual space of complex sentences. Explanations for significantly recurrent coding patterns are couched in a usage-based approach to language structure, which pays due attention to the cognitive and communicative pressures on usage events involving purpose clauses, to frequency distributions of grammatical choices in corpora, and to the ways in which usage preferences conventionalize in pathways of diachronic change. The book integrates diverse previous strands of research on purpose clauses with a thorough empirical analysis in its own right and thus reflects the current state-of-the-art of crosslinguistic research into this distinctive type of adverbial clause.
Intellectual effort and linguistic work : semiotic and hermeneutic aspects of the philosophy of Bergson
by Kristian Bankov
en | Internat. Semiotics Inst.
9519865403 9519865411
This study was inspired by the philosophy of Henri Bergson – not so much by
the enormous success of his books, nor by the unmerited decline in the
popularity of his doctrine, which began so soon after he had been a major figure
in both French and world philosophy. Rather, the present study draws its
inspiration from the philosophical truth contained in Bergson’s works, and more
precisely, from the difficult challenge of communicating that truth to others.
Numerous theoretical questions arise in the course of such an enterprise, to
which I hope to give at least partial answers.
Bergson treats the question of philosophic truth in a way that allowed me to
frame my research in terms of contemporary semiotic and hermeneutic
discourses. In his famous essay “Philosophical Intuition” (CM1: 107–129), he
defines this kind of truth as “something simple, infinitely simple, so
extraordinarily simple that the philosopher has never succeeded in saying it”
(109). This dialectic between intuition and its “saying” is examined in terms of
the hermeneutic dialectic between understanding and interpretation.
At the same time, this study has the programmatic aim of sparking renewed
interpretations of Bergson’s philosophy, and especially his notion of Intellectual
Effort. I see this notion not only as central to Bergson’s philosophy, but also as
constitutive for the sign-character of our being and for the very possibility our persisting in the world. For me this hypothesis is so true and obvious that I
would compare it with truths such as “the Earth revolves around the Sun” and
“man must keep his dignity”. The problem comes, of course, when I have to
defend this view. Contrary to the two truths just mentioned, mine is not
susceptible to deductive proofs. There are no logical positions or experimental
facts on which to base the credibility of this study. For this reason, it was
necessary to provide the brief introduction which follows, entitled “On the
Method of This Study”. There I try to justify the viability of an entire doctoral
dissertation that discusses philosophical questions in a hermeneutic and
interpretative way.
After the comments on methodology, the study unfolds in two main parts.
Part One is dedicated to the philosophy of Bergson and, specifically, to his
notion of Intellectual Effort. In Part Two, I read some central semiotic and
hermeneutic problems from the point of view of Bergson’s “theory” of
Intellectual Effort
Utterance Interpretation and Cognitive Models (Current Research in the Semantics/pragmatics Interface) (Current Research in the Semantics-Pragmatics Interface)
By Philippe De Brabanter, Mikhail Kissine
* Publisher:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
* Number Of Pages: 300
* Publication Date:2009-07-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:1848556500
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9781848556508
Product Description:
This book, "Utterance Interpretation and Cognitive Models", is a collection of papers that stems from the conference of the same name held at the Free University of Brussels in June 2006. Our main objective is to reconcile armchair theorising about the semantics-pragmatics interface with hypotheses about cognitive architecture. For that reason, the papers in the collection place some of the hottest questions in contemporary philosophy of language within the scope of a psychologically plausible theory of human communication. The collection is articulated into three parts. The first concerns the cognitive counterparts of lexical meanings. The second explores the links between moods and forces. The third looks at the epistemological status of semantic theory from the point of view of human psychology.
Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Insights from Linguistics
By Kristin Lems, Leah D. Miller, Tenena M. Soro
* Publisher:The Guilford Press
* Number Of Pages:256
* Publication Date:2009-11-20
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:1606234684
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9781606234686
Product Description:
Written specifically for K–12 educators, this accessible book explains the processes involved in second-language acquisition and provides a wealth of practical strategies for helping English language learners (ELLs) succeed at reading. The authors integrate knowledge from two fields that often remain disconnected—linguistics and literacy—with a focus on what works in the classroom. Teachers learn effective practices for supporting students as they build core competencies not just for reading in English, but also for listening, speaking, and writing. Engaging vignettes and examples illustrate ways to promote ELLs’ communicative skills across the content areas and in formal and informal settings.
Aspects of the Theory of Syntax
By Noam Chomsky
* Publisher:The MIT Press
* Number Of Pages:261
* Publication Date:1969-03-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0262530074
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780262530071
Product Description:
Beginning in the mid-fifties and emanating largely form MIT, and approach was developed to linguistic theory and to the study of the structure of particular languages that diverges in many respects from modern linguistics. Although this approach is connected to the traditional study of languages, it differs enough in its specific conclusions about the structure and in its specific conclusions about the structure of language to warrant a name, "generative grammar."
Various deficiencies have been discovered in the first attempts to formulate a theory of transformational generative grammar and in the descriptive analysis of particular languages that motivated these formulations. At the same time, it has become apparent that these formulations can be extended and deepened.
The major purpose of this book is to review these developments and to propose a reformulation of the theory of transformational generative grammar that takes them into account. The emphasis in this study is syntax; semantic and phonological aspects of the language structure are discussed only insofar as they bear on syntactic theory.
Summary: Not such a good read...and not out of spite.
Rating: 1
As a Ph.D. student in linguistics I had to read a lot of classic books in the field. Chomsky always struck me as awfully dry. Read syntactic structures if you must. BTW why bother writing a review if you have not read the book....
Summary: a very important work now in kindle
Rating: 5
One of the most important works of Chomsky's. It is preceded by experimental modelling of linguistic knowledge based on rewriting rules and the resulting conclusion of the need for transformations and is followed by new innovating ideas on restricting the power of transformations. We already see the deep thinking that went into the development of the next stage. He discusses the idea of 'singulary transformations' which the individual transformations were, then, composed of and which later developed into Move-alpha, Delete-alpha, etc. He argues very persuasively for a separate 'lexicon' and the kind of information we should expect to find there. Overall, it is rich with seeds that later developed into the ideas comprising the 'principles and parameters' theory. And most importantly, it gives the shrewd and disciplined argumentation, which became a standard of Chomsky's later works and generative grammar in general.
Summary: The final account
Rating: 5
This is the single most influential book in the cognitive sciences. Everybody in that field defines their position in relation to this book.
Has it stood the test of time?
The fundamental distinction in the book is between 'competence' and 'performance.' We can have a hard, mathematical and super precise science of competence, but not of performance. Performance, at the time this book was written, was a "mystery." Chomsky went on to claim that it would always be a mystery.
As it turns out, Chomsky's distinction (which is fairly isomorphic to Kant's position of "knowledge" and "faith," whether he knows it or not) has turned out wrong. Sociobiologists have basically made "Orwell's problem" (why do we know so little about such obvious stuff?) into a permanent fact of human nature. It is effectively the case that all societies have elites, they all have crime, and they all exercise violence to lesser or greater degrees. And if you read Chomsky's work in politics (all of which is in the realm of performance or Kantian faith) he comes out and says it: every state that has ever existed is run by gangsters.
What of the idea of 'competence'? It will probably last a long time, it may very well be the equivalent of mass in physics. But there are problems with it. Namely that it treats the person who applies it and is alive as though he or she is dead. It is essentially a self-fulfilling prophecy that is derivate on the Universal self fulfilling prophecy and tries to usurp the Universal's power. My guess is that it is like Freud's Oedipus. It has overwhelming heuristic and pragmatic value, but no ontological power.
(What is it with these Jews? They come up with the best ideas!)
Summary: Aspects is like space
Rating: 5
It's a little strange to find or place reviews of such a seminal and magisterial work on a commercial web site. Aspects (and Syntactic Structures) essentially created the intellectual space in which linguists have operated for almost half a century. Not reading Aspects is only possible in the way that not reading "Origin of Species" is. An interested reader can certainly learn the same stuff another way -- more easily, in fact -- but when you come to understand it, you will want to get to the source for yourself.
Summary: The 60s Linguistics Nuclear-Bomb: Cannot be ignored.
Rating: 5
Joe from Providence.
I was a linguistics student when this book came out. Students and instructors alike were baffled, spent hours trying to understand it, and loved it or berated it. But no one could remain neutral about Chomsky's Theory of Syntax.
Many years after graduate courses in different linguistic grammars, I picked it up again, and it is a comparatively easy read for present or former lingusitics students.
The initial problem readers encountered was Chomsky's presupposition of a wide knowledge of all aspects of linguistics (and some major theories of learning behavior)-- he presupposes that you have grasped the sources that he either is reacting to or revising: What came before is what forced Chomsky to begin creating his theory of syntax. This is NOT like his later books: this IS syntax, the "technical kind." And that is partially what makes the book so important.
Regardless of your opinion or reaction to this book: NO ONE CAN IGNORE IT, or its effect on linguistics after its publication.
IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO READ 'WHAT SOMEONE SAYS CHOMSKY SAID.' Read the original.
Currect Issues in Linguistic Theory
by Noam Chomsky
* Number of Pages: 119 pages
* Publisher: Mouton; Fifth Printing edition (1970)
* Language: English
* ASIN: B000L5VCK6
"A revised and expanded version of a report presented to the session: 'The logical basis of linguistic theory,' Ninth International Congress of Linguists, Cambridge, Mass., 1962."
Language and Problems of Knowledge: The Managua Lectures (Current Studies in Linguistics)
By Noam Chomsky
* Publisher:The MIT Press
* Number Of Pages:216
* Publication Date:1987-09-10
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0262031337
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780262031332
Product Description:
Language and Problems of Knowledge is Noam Chomsky's most accessible statement on the nature, origins, and current concerns of the field of linguistics. He frames the lectures with four fundamental questions: What do we know when we are able to speak and understand a language? How is this knowledge acquired? How do we use this knowledge? What are the physical mechanisms involved in the representation, acquisition, and use of this knowledge? Starting from basic concepts, Chomsky sketches the present state of our answers to these questions and offers prospects for future research. Much of the discussion revolves around our understanding of basic human nature (that we are unique in being able to produce a rich, highly articulated, and complex language on the basis of quite rudimentary data), and it is here that Chomsky's ideas on language relate to his ideas on politics. The initial versions of these lectures were given at the Universidad Centroamericana in Managua, Nicaragua, in March 1986. A parallel set of lectures on contemporary political issues given at the same time has been published by South End Press under the title On Power and Ideology: The Managua Lectures. Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT. Language and Problems of Knowledge is sixteenth in the series Current Studies in Linguistics, edited by Jay Keyser.
Summary: Great Book
Rating: 5
Reasonably quick read. Restates language as a side-effect of the brain's syntaxial approach in expressing thought.
Summary: Chomsky's not the Genius he's made out to be
Rating: 1
Noam Chomsky insists that the mind-body problem can't be solved or formulated and that theories of meaning remain unsuccessful. Apparently he still perpetuates the extraordinary ignorance of Aristotilian/Thomistic philosophy that he has previously been so accused along with the rest of modern philosophy.
For example, in Mortimer Adler's 1967 work of genius, "The Difference of Man and the Difference it Makes", Adler has this to say about the mind-body argument of Aristotle and Aquinas on p.223, "Because the moderate immaterialism of Aristotle and Aquinas is totally neglected or ignored in the contemporary discussion, we cannot look for criticisms of it, or objections to it, in current philosophical literature."
More explicitly, Adler has this to say in the notes on p.329 about theories of Meaning - "The Institute For Philosophical Research is currently engaged in the study of the whole discussion of language and thought and especially the problem of meaning. We have examined most of the major twentieth-century treatments of this subject. We have found only two contemporary writers who indicate some awareness of the correct version of the triadic theory of meaning, J.N. Findlay and R. Chisholm. Others among contemporaries who comment on the triadic theory are either unacquainted with the Aristotilian version or so misunderstand it that they treat that version and the Lockean version as if they were identical, Ogden and Richards. The rest manifest no awareness at all of the triadic theory in its correct version and, in addition, do not seem to understand the problem that it tried to solve and succeeded in solving." To my knowledge Descartes, Locke, Hobbes, Liebniz, Spinoza, Hume, Berkley, Kant and Comte are all on the list of ingorant as well.
My Recommendations are Mortimer Adler's books "The Difference of Man and The Difference it Makes" (1967), and "Some Questions About Language" (1976 - without question the best book ever written on the subject), and Jacques Maritain's "Degrees of Knowledge" (1959), and John Deely's "What Distinguishes Human Understanding?" (2002). Other geniuses like Etienne Gilson are to be read by anybody interested in learning about philosophy.
Problems of Knowledge and Freedom (Bertrand Russell memorial lectures)
By Noam Chomsky
* Publisher:Barrie & Jenkins
* Number Of Pages:96
* Publication Date:1972-01-10
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0214653714
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780214653711
Product Description:
From interpreting the world to changing it, a synthesis of Chomsky's early work on philosophy, linguistics, and politics.
Originally delivered in 1971 as the first Cambridge lectures in memory of Bertrand Russell, Problems of Knowledge and Freedom is a masterful and cogent synthesis of Noam Chomsky's moral philosophy, linguistic analysis, and emergent political critique of America's war in Vietnam.
In the first half of this wide-ranging work, Chomsky takes up Russell's lifelong search for the empirical principles of human understanding, in a philosophical overview referencing Hume, Wittgenstein, von Humboldt, and others. In the following half, aptly titled "On Changing the World," Chomsky applies these concepts to the issues that would remain the focus of his increasingly political work of the period—his criticisms of the war in Indochina and the Cold War ideology that supported it, of the centralization of US decision-making in the Pentagon and the growing influence of multinational corporations in those circles, and of the politicization of American universities in the post- World War II years, as well as his analyses of the Cuban Missile Crisis and Nixon's foreign policies.
Summary: not for everyone, but quite good
Rating: 4
Looking through my bookshelves, I realized that all of my Chomsky books were from 1990 and up. Curious as to what his earlier writing was like, I decided to pick up this short text.
Not being familiar with linguistics, the first chapter was difficult for me to get through. The material is very dense and I wouldn't have expected that getting through those first fifty pages would have taken so long.
As for the second chapter, I was struck by how much his writing style has changed over the years. Chomsky can rightly be criticized for being too overtly moral sometimes. By this I mean that he makes predictable moral arguments, without acknowledging that others probably won't act with such moral conviction. This makes for a tricky situation, and while Chomsky is always "right," he's not always practical. Anyway, his political writing in this book comes across as being much more focused and more academic than anything he's written in the last 15 years. The same sense of moral indignation is there, but it's very different from a book like Hegemony or Survival, for example.
I really think that if you've only read more recent Chomsky books, you should really take the time to go through some of his earlier work. Problems of Knowledge and Freedom is a good place to start (at least the second half). It's short and relatively cheap. This book really hints at what I'm expecting to be a much more in-depth body of work from earlier in his career. I look forward to reading more of his earlier books.
Summary: Chomsky on Human Nature and Politics
Rating: 3
This text is a collection of lectures given by Noam Chomsky that relate to his insights into Linguistics, human knowledge, and politics to intellectual Bertrand Russell, whom Chomsky shared many points in common. The first half of the book provides a brilliant and succinct explication of his linguistic discoveries and its implications on human nature and general cognition, but it will surely be challenging to any reader not familiar with linguistics. The second half is an essay on Western Imperialism, particularly as it pertains to the Vietnam War, and for those who have read Chomsky's American Power and the New Mandarins this lecture comes off as a rehash of old material, although it does provide a devastating examination of the state-influenced intellectuals who control the political ideology or our insitutions, and of the threat of nuclear war and the extinction of the human species.
The Contrastive Hierarchy in Phonology (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics)
By B. Elan Dresher
* Publisher:Cambridge University Press
* Number Of Pages:302
* Publication Date:2009-09-28
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0521889731
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780521889735
'Contrast' - the opposition between distinctive sounds in a language - is one of the most central concepts in linguistics. This book presents an original account of the logic and history of contrast in phonology. It provides empirical evidence from diverse phonological domains that only contrastive features are computed by the phonological component of grammar. It argues that the contrastive specifications of phonemes are governed by language-particular feature hierarchies. This approach assigns a key role to abstract cognitive structures, challenging contemporary approaches that favour phonetic explanations of phonological phenomena. Tracing the evolution of the hypothesis that contrastive features play a special role in phonology, it shows how this insight has been obscured by misunderstandings of the role of the contrastive feature hierarchy. Questioning the widely held notion that contrast should be based on minimal pairs, Elan Dresher argues that the contrastive hierarchy is indispensable to illuminating accounts of phonological patterning.
• An original account of the history of phonological thought • Argues for abstract cognitive structures in phonology that go against the current trend toward phonetic explanation • Analyses the logic of contrast
Contents
1. Introduction; 2. The logic of contrast; 3. Contrast in structuralist phonology; 4. The rise and fall of the contrastive hierarchy; 5. Generative phonology: contrast goes underground; 6. Contrast in optimality theory; 7. Evidence for the contrastive hierarchy in phonology; 8. Other approaches to contrast in phonology; 9. Conclusion.
Beyond Language: Intercultural Communication for English as a Second Language
By Deena R. Levine
* Publisher:Prentice Hall
* Number Of Pages:388
* Publication Date:1982-02-11
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0130760005
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780130760005
The English Language: A Historical Introduction (Cambridge Approaches to Linguistics)
By Charles Barber, Joan C. Beal, Philip A. Shaw
* Publisher:Cambridge University Press
* Number Of Pages:320
* Publication Date:2009-04-27
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0521854040
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780521854047
Product Description:
Where does today's English come from? This new edition of the bestseller by Charles Barber tells the story of the language from its remote ancestry to the present day. In response to demand from readers, a brand new chapter on late modern English has been added for this edition. Using dozens of familiar texts, including the English of King Alfred, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Addison, the book tells you everything you need to know about the English language, where it came from and where it's going to. This edition adds new material on English as a global language and explains the differences between the main varieties of English around the world. Clear explanations of linguistic ideas and terms make it the ideal introduction for students on courses in English language and linguistics, and for all readers fascinated by language.
Summary: Excellent for education and referance
Rating: 4
This book is excellent for reference when studying and for personal education if you're interested in learning about the history of the English Language. Sounds boring, but did you know that Farsi is considered a Germanic language like French and Norwegian?? Also teaches the finer points of language, how words are pronounced and how different dialects develop. Broken down into easy-to-comprehend chapters, each deals with a certain part of the history of language and breaks it down into groups based on geography. From 1 being the easiest and 10 being the worst, reading level is about a 4 yet so much information compacted into a small book creates a dryness level of 8.
Summary: une introduction excellente à l'histoire de la langue anglaise
Rating: 5
Ce livre est le premier que j'ai lu lorsque j'ai commencé à m'intéresser à l'histoire de cette langue si répandue, protéiforme et souple, cet ancien dialecte teuton heureusement civilisé par les Normands fran鏰is, et naturellement les apports latin et grec. Clair, d'une lecture facile, voilà un ouvrage excellent de vulgarisation dont la lecture est à recommander à tous !
Summary: Very good, but tough sledding for a 'casual' reader
Rating: 5
This book seems like an excellent introduction to the history of English-language development. I would caution anyone who is considering this book to evaluate how technical a work they wish to read. If the annswer is 'not very' or even 'moderately,' I'd advise them to keep clear of Barber's text. He has many lengthy analyses of morphology and phonology changes of Indo-European, Proto-Germanic and Old-English words, which can be confusing or exhausting if a reader doesn't have a serious interest. (I do, but still think it's a bit dull.) My knowledge of this subject prior to reading the book was very general (i.e.-- of the 'I think the Normans invaded in 1066' type...), but I feel pretty grounded in the topic, after reading Barber's text...I'm ready to tackle Old English!
Another caveat-- Barber is British, and bases all his pronunciations on British 'Received Pronunciation' rules, which may challenge American readers--like myself--trying to puzzle out his pronunctions...and a cursory knowledge of Latin and perhaps Greek or German can really help in understanding the 'pre-historical' aspects of his argument.
A last note: an earlier reviewer has claimed that this book 'makes clear the relationship between Dutch and English.' I think he's misunderstood Barber's analysis, as Barber clearly states that English is most closely related to Anglo-Frisian, which is a branch of the West-Germanic group, but distinct from the Dutch/Old Franconian branch. The languages are hereditary, but not linear (according to Barber). This could be a niggling point, but may prejudice potential reader's to Barber.
Overall, a great (but technical) read, and thrilling to a determined student of English-language development.
Summary: Informative good read
Rating: 5
If someone is interested in learning the origins, history, and development of the English language, then he or she will gain a lot from this book. There are many technical aspects included. It's also enjoyable. Many applied linguistic terms and areas are covered. From English's relationship to Sanskrit and other languages, to the great vowel shift explaining why English often doesn't sound the way it's spelled--difficult and illogical for students learning the language. The author went into depth about such topics as the culture of the Germanic tribes and how demographics influenced the development of the English language the way it did. The Scandinavians, French, and many others have loaded the language with with many loans words. It's a good informative read.
Summary: An excellent, if heavily technical, layman's guide
Rating: 4
This book is an excellent introduction to the history of the English language. As the other reviewers have noted, it's a bit top-heavy on technical linguistics, and therefore may not be suitable to everyone. But if you don't mind reading a book which could also be used as a 400-level college textbook... I think this book would appeal to any who have an interest in linguistics in general and the history on English in particular - especially if you've read other, lighter books on the topic already and you're ready to get seriously into the topic.
I fit the above category, and I loved this book. Probably the best I've read on the subject so far.
The Language of Defamation Cases
By Roger W. Shuy
* Publisher:Oxford University Press, USA
* Number Of Pages:264
* Publication Date:2010-01-28
* ISBN-10 / ASIN:0195391322
* ISBN-13 / EAN:9780195391329
Product Description:
Slander and libel cases are largely about how one party uses language in ways that are claimed to defame one another. Linguistic expertise can be central to the case. In The Language of Defamation Cases, Roger W. Shuy describes eleven representative lawsuits--involving newspapers, television stations, religious leaders, physicians, teachers, entertainers, unions, insurance companies, and manufacturers--for which he served as a consultant. Shuy's linguistic analysis illustrates how grammatical referencing, speech acts, discourse structure, framing, conveyed meaning, intentionality, and malicious language affected the outcome of these cases.
The Language of Defamation Cases shows how linguistics can be used to help resolve libel and slander cases. It will appeal to students and scholars of applied linguistics and forensic linguistics.