Kate Burridge follows the international success of Blooming English with another entertaining excursion into the ever-changing nature of the complex and captivating English language. If language is a glorious garden, filled with exotic hybrids as well as traditional heritage specimens, then weeds will also thrive on its fertile grounds. Linguistic weeds may be defined as pronunciations or constructions that are no longer used. For example, Burridge points out how "aint" or double negatives were at one time quite acceptable in everyday speaking and writing but are now classified as "weeds" that should no longer have a place in our vocabulary. And, as she so deftly accomplished in Blooming English, Burridge goes on here to further celebrate our capacity to play with language, and to examine the ways we use it: in slang and jargon, swearing, speaking the unspeakable, or concealing unpleasant or inconvenient facts. In this new volume she gives us another fun and informative work for enjoyable browsing; for discovering intriguing trivia about language, history, and social customs; and for employing as a peerless weapon in word games. Kate Burridge is the Chair of Linguistics at Monash University and a regular presenter of segments on the Australian Broadcast Company.
Livro
European Portuguese, like other Romance languages, display a great amount of word order variation. Out of the six logically possible permutations between Subject, Verb and Complement in a transitive sentence, five are possible: SVO, VSO, VOS, OVS and OSV. The primary goal of this book is to provide an analysis of the several positions where the subject may surface in European Portuguese. Departing from an architecture of the clause as sketched in early minimalist work, containing two subject-related functional categories above VP (AgrP and TP), it is shown that the subject may surface in all potential landing sites: Spec,AgrP, Spec,TP and Spec,VP. Moreover, just like any other argument of the clause, it is claimed that subjects also have the possibility of surfacing in a left-dislocated position, arguably adjoining to the clause's left periphery.
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The triumph of English in the Renaissance--the successful efforts to advance the status of English over Latin and the continental vernaculars--has long been considered the major linguistic event of the period. Too often, Paula Blank argues, this has obscured the fact that English itself was divided by internal contests. By investigating the ways that early modern writers represented dialects, Blank reveals how "English" itself was a construct of the Renaissance, produced by discriminations made among alternative then-current "Englishes". Blank shows how dialect conditioned the production of reform, and examines how Renaissance literature became a major arena for competing Englishes of the period. Renaissance authors such as Spenser, Shakespeare and Jonson, Blank argues, produced the idea of a national language, variously known as "true" English, "pure" English, or the "King's" English, by distinguishing its dialect--and sometimes by creating those dialects themselves. Broken English shows how the Renaissance invention helped forge modern alliances of language and cultural authority.
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Including Bosnian, Russian, Polish and Slovak, the Slavic group of languages is the fourth largest Indo-European sub-group. Spoken by 297 million people, it is one of the major language families of the modern world. This book presents a survey of all aspects of the linguistic structure of the Slavic languages. Roland Sussex and Paul Cubberley cover Slavic dialects and sociolinguistic issues, and the socio-historical evolution of the Slavic languages, in addition to general linguistic topics.
Livro
The Dravidian languages are spoken by nearly 200 million people in South Asia and in diaspora communities around the world. They include Tamil, Malayalam, Kannadaand Telugu, as well as over 20 non-literary languages. Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, one of the most eminent Dravidianists of our time, provides a linguistic overview of the Dravidian language family. He describes its history and writing system, discusses its structure and typology, and considers its lexicon. Distant and more recent contacts between Dravidian and other language groups are also covered.
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Germanic - one of the largest sub-groups of the Indo-European language family - comprises 37 languages with an estimated 470 million speakers worldwide. This book presents a comparative linguistic survey of the full range of Germanic languages, both ancient and modern, including major world languages such as English and German (West Germanic), the Scandinavian (North Germanic) languages, and the extinct East Germanic languages. Unlike previous studies, it does not take a chronological or a language-by-language approach, organized instead around linguistic constructions and subsystems. Considering dialects alongside standard varieties, it provides a detailed account of topics such as case, word formation, sound systems, vowel length, syllable structure, the noun phrase, the verb phrase, the expression of tense and mood, and the syntax of the clause. Authoritative and comprehensive, this much-needed survey will be welcomed by scholars and students of the Germanic languages, as well as linguists across the many branches of the field.
Livro
The Indo-European language family consists of many of the modern and ancient languages of Europe, India and Central Asia, including Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, Russian, German, French, Spanish and English. Spoken by an estimated three billion people, it has the largest number of native speakers in the world today. This textbook provides an accessible introduction to the study of the Indo-European languages. It clearly sets out the methods for relating the languages to one another, presents an engaging discussion of the current debates and controversies concerning their classification, and offers sample problems and suggestions for how to solve them. Complete with a comprehensive glossary, almost 100 tables in which language data and examples are clearly laid out, suggestions for further reading, discussion points, and a range of exercises, this text will be an essential toolkit for all those studying historical linguistics, language typology and the Indo-European languages for the first time.
Livro
The books in this new series examine the history of English and its use in a variety of contemporary contexts: the learning and teaching of English in different parts of the world; the position of English in relation to other languages and its use as a language of international communication. Each book in the series examines the social and political aspects of the English language, includes source material, case studies and activities and assumes no prior linguistic knowledge.The story of English is often presented as one of progress: from a set of Germanic dialects to a fully-fledged national and international language. The scope of this book is much wider, emphasizing the diversity of English throughout its history and the changing social meanings of different varieties of English. Topics discussed include the history of English from old English to the present day, the development of English as a world language, English grammar and accents, style shifting and codeswitching and the notion of good and bad English. English: History, Diversity and Change includes contributions from Nik Coupland, David Graddol, Paul Kerswill, Marie-Noelle Lamy, Dick Leith, Joan Swann, Linda Thomas and Susan Wright, as well as readings from a range of sources.
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This volume comprises refereed papers and abstracts from the 7th International Conference on the Evolution of Language (EVOLANG7), held in Barcelona in March 2008. As the leading international conference in the field, the biennial EVOLANG meeting is characterized by an invigorating, multidisciplinary approach to the origins and evolution of human language, and brings together researchers from many fields including anthropology, archeology, artificial life, biology, cognitive science, computer science, ethology, genetics, linguistics, neuroscience, paleontology, primatology, psychology and statistical physics. The latest theoretical, experimental and modeling research on language evolution is presented in this collection. It includes contributions from leading scientists such as Derek Bickerton, Rudolf Botha, Camilo Cela Conde, Francesco d'Erico, Susan Goldin-Meadow, Simon Kirby, Gary Marcus, Steven Pinker, Friedemann Pulvermuller and Juan Uriagereka.
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This practical and informative course book leads the student through the development of the language from Old English, through Middle and Early Modern English to the establishment of Standard English in the eighteenth century. At the core of the book is a series of nearly two hundred historical texts, of which more than half are reproduced in facsimile, exemplifying the progressive changes in the language. The book is firmly based upon linguistic description, with commentaries forming a series of case studies which demonstrate the evidence for language change at every level - handwriting, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, grammar and meaning.Various activities are offered throughout the book to encourage the students to study data at first hand, using texts and facsimiles, and to consider possible reasons for what they observe.
Livro
Books published by Dover tend to have certain similarities: they tend to be books that were considered primary reference sources in their (usually eccentric) field at one time, but are now outdated and while their contents are frequently interesting, possibly useful and occasionally enlightening, they should not be considered authoritative except in the sense that they reflect scholarly opinion of several generations past.Fr. Wieger's book should be treated in this manner. We have a great deal more resources regarding the evolution of the Chinese writing system at our disposal now than when he wrote a hundred years ago. The book is interesting in that it reflects the accepted wisdom of Chinese scholars of the nineteenth century on the subject, and in this sense it resembles James Legge's translations of the Chinese classics - they're considered almost unreadable nowadays (as is Wieger) but Legge had the benefit of real mandarins of the old regime to consult with. Fr. Wieger's book is a reflection of the sholarship that put together the Kang Xi dictionary, which despite its drawbacks in retrospect was a monumental work in its time.If you're looking for a dictionary don't waste your time with Wieger - in this respect he was inaccurate even when he was new, and it's doubtful that preparing a dictionary was his major concern anyway. If you're looking for a history of Chinese writing, you should look elsewhere for accuracy, but Wieger's comments are worth a read as well, for no other reason than that he goes into so much detail over every character, and provides us with the received wisdom on the derivation of so many of them.
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Aboriginal people have been in Australia for at least 40,000 years, speaking about 250 languages. Through examination of published and unpublished materials on each of the individual languages, Dixon surveys the ways in which the languages vary typologically and presents a profile of this long-established linguistic area. The areal distribution of most features is illustrated with more than 30 maps and an index of languages and language groups is provided.
Livro
The Andean and Pacific regions of South America are home to a remarkable variety of languages and language families, with a range of typological differences. Documenting the indigenous languages of this region, as well as of adjacent areas, Willem Andelaar and Pieter Muysken provide historical as well as contemporary information about the languages of the Andes. Illustrated with detailed grammatical sketches, their book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of linguistics and anthropology.
Livro
Intermediate German is designed for learners who have achieved basic proficiency and wish to progress to more complex language. Each of the units combines concise grammar explanations with examples and exercises to help build confidence and fluency.
Features include:
- clear explanations of the similarities and differences in English and German grammar
- authentic language examples from a range of contemporary media
- checklists at the end of each unit to consolidate what you have learnt
- full cross-referencing throughout
- extra tips on language learning and learning specific grammar points
Suitable for students learning with or without a teacher, Intermediate German, together with its sister volume, Basic German, forms a structured course of the essentials of German grammar.
Livro
Basic German: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume.
It introduces German people and culture through the medium of the language used today, covering the core material which students would expect to encounter in their first year of learning German.
Each of the 28 units presents one or more related grammar topics, illustrated by examples which serve as models for the exercises that follow. These wide-ranging and varied exercises enable the student to master each grammar point thoroughly.Basic German is suitable for independent study and for class use.
Features include:
Clear grammatical explanations with examples in both English and German
Authentic language samples from a range of media
Checklists at the end of each unit to reinforce key points
Cross referencing to other grammar chapters
Full exercise answer key
Glossary of grammatical terms.
Basic German is the ideal reference and practice book for beginners, but also for students with some knowledge of the language.
Livro
This book fills a longstanding need for a basic introduction to Cognitive Grammar that is current, authoritative, comprehensive, and approachable. It presents a synthesis that draws together and refines the descriptive and theoretical notions developed in this framework over the course of three decades. In a unified manner, it accommodates both the conceptual and the social-interactive basis of linguistic structure, as well as the need for both functional explanation and explicit structural description. Starting with the fundamentals, essential aspects of the theory are systematically laid out with concrete illustrations and careful discussion of their rationale. Among the topics surveyed are conceptual semantics, grammatical classes, grammatical constructions, the lexicon-grammar continuum characterized as assemblies of symbolic structures (form-meaning pairings), and the usage-based account of productivity, restrictions, and well-formedness. The theory's central claim - that grammar is inherently meaningful - is thereby shown to be viable. The framework is further elucidated through application to nominal structure, clause structure, and complex sentences. These are examined in broad perspective, with exemplification from English and numerous other languages. In line with the theory's general principles, they are discussed not only in terms of their structural characterization, but also their conceptual value and functional motivation. Other matters explored include discourse, the temporal dimension of language structure, and what grammar reveals about cognitive processes and the construction of our mental world.
Livro
This is a simple introduction to Old English for students with little or no linguistic knowledge. Unlike other textbooks on the subject, Beginning Old English focuses on the explanation and illustration of how the language works, using accessible illustrations from simplified Old English texts and demonstrating how many feature of present-day English have their roots in this stage of the language. It also includes long extracts from popular Old English works for use in the classroom.
Livro
A Primer on Ugaritic is an introduction to the language of the ancient city of Ugarit, a city that flourished in the second millennium BCE on the Lebanese coast, placed in the context of the culture, literature, and religion of this ancient Semitic culture. The Ugaritic language and literature was a precursor to Canaanite and serves as one of our most important resources for understanding the Old Testament and the Hebrew language. Special emphasis is placed on contextualization of the Ugartic language and comparison to ancient Hebrew as well as Akkadian.
Livro
By arranging frequently used characters under the phonetic element they have in common, rather than only under their radical, the Dictionary encourages the student to link characters according to their phonetic. The system of cross-referencing then allows the student to find easily all the characters in the dictionary which have the same phonetic element, thus helping to fix in the memory the link between a character and its sound and meaning.
This innovative resource will be an excellent study-aid for students with a basic grasp of Chinese, whether they are studying with a teacher or learning on their own.
Table of contents
Foreword Introduction Terms and Abbreviations used in the List List of the traditional 214 radicals List of 943 selected Chinese characters Appendix ‘A’ – notes on the choice of Chinese characters included In the List Appendix ‘B’ – detailed list of the 214 radicals with comments and examples Pinyin index for the List Radical index for the List.
Dr Stewart Paton was Head of the Department of Languages at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, from 1976 to 1981.
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Focuses on the real mistakes students make in the Proficiency exam and shows how to avoid them. This invaluable little book highlights the real mistakes that students make in the exam - and shows how to avoid them.
Based on analysis of thousands of exam scripts, each unit targets a key problem area. Clear explanations and exercises help students to use the language accurately. Regular tests offer students a further opportunity to check and consolidate what they have learnt.
- Highlights common mistakes that learners really make
- Based on analysis of thousands of exam scripts
- Short, snappy explanations focus on key problem areas
- Includes exam-style exercises
- Highlights common mistakes that learners really make
- Based on analysis of thousands of exam scripts
- Short, snappy explanations focus on key problem areas
- Includes exam-style exercises
Livro
After decades of research activity, Chinese spoken language processing (CSLP) has advanced considerably both in practical technology and theoretical discovery. In this book, the editors provide both an introduction to the field as well as unique research problems with their solutions in various areas of CSLP. The contributions represent pioneering efforts ranging from CSLP principles to technologies and applications, with each chapter encapsulating a single problem and its solutions.
Livro
This series of four workbooks has been specially designed to provide secondary students with a sound understanding of English vocabulary and ample practice in its use.
Workbooks 1 and 2 focus on the use of such common words as good, fair, fine and nice which either are rather vague in meaning or tend to be overused. Each book contains 25 units, plus 8 review exercises.Vocabulary Building 1 is specially designed to improve the vocabulary and writing skills of students.
This book will sharpen students’ summary-writing skills with
Reading passages featuring the relevant language points in context
Detailed study of vocabulary, with example sentences
Questions to test how much knowledge students have gained from the passages
Answers are provided
Livro
This series of four workbooks has been specially designed to provide secondary students with a sound understanding of English vocabulary and ample practice in its use.
Workbooks 1 and 2 focus on the use of such common words as good, fair, fine and nice which either are rather vague in meaning or tend to be overused. Each book contains 25 units, plus 8 review exercises.Vocabulary Building 2 is specially designed to improve the vocabulary and writing skills of students.
This book will sharpen students’ summary-writing skills with
- Reading passages featuring the relevant language points in context
- Detailed study of vocabulary, with example sentences
- Questions to test how much knowledge students have gained from the passages
- Answers are provided
Livro
This series of four workbooks has been specially designed to provide secondary students with a sound understanding of English vocabulary and ample practice in its use.
Workbooks 3 and 4 aim at increasing students’ knowledge of English words and expressions, such as euphemisms, redundancies, cliches, etc. Other aspects of English, such as confusables, idioms, proverbs are covered in the section More About Language. These books will sharpen students’ summary-writing skills.
This book will sharpen students’ summary-writing skills with
Reading passages featuring the relevant language points in context
Detailed study of vocabulary, with example sentences
Questions to test how much knowledge students have gained from the passages
Answers are provided
Livro
This series of four workbooks has been specially designed to provide secondary students with a sound understanding of English vocabulary and ample practice in its use.
Workbooks 3 and 4 aim at increasing students’ knowledge of English words and expressions, such as euphemisms, redundancies, cliches, etc. Other aspects of English, such as confusables, idioms, proverbs are covered in the section More About Language. These books will sharpen students’ summary-writing skills.
This book will sharpen students’ summary-writing skills with
Reading passages featuring the relevant language points in context
Detailed study of vocabulary, with example sentences
Questions to test how much knowledge students have gained from the passages
Answers are provided
Livro
There are approximately six thousand languages on Earth today, each a descendant of the tongue first spoken by Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago. While laying out how languages mix and mutate over time, linguistics professor John McWhorter reminds us of the variety within the species that speaks them, and argues that, contrary to popular perception, language is not immutable and hidebound, but a living, dynamic entity that adapts itself to an ever-changing human environment.
Livro
The face of creationism has been through some major plastic surgery in the past decade or so. The leading proponents of "intelligent design theory" have left the ranting flat-earth types behind and found respected positions in the academic world from which to launch attacks on mainstream science. Philosopher of science Robert T. Pennock has explored all sides of the ongoing debate, which remains (despite the protestations of many creationists) more about biblical inerrancy than scientific evidence. His book Tower of Babel examines the new directions antievolutionists have taken lately, but goes beyond a mere recounting of recent history by proposing a new avenue of counterattack:
linguistics.
The parallels are striking once we look closely: Genesis proclaims that God created all human languages at one stroke, while modern scientific thought proposes linguistic evolution similar in form to genetics. Best of all for scientists, though, linguistic change is much more rapid than biological change, and we have actually observed what might be called "speciation events" to have occurred historically in languages. While not meant to supplant traditional arguments against creationism, Pennock's ideas certainly supplement them and will be useful to educators and researchers alike. His sense of urgency is compelling; he sees the future of scientific education and freedom at stake and argues strongly for a separation between private beliefs and public knowledge.
Livro
Modern Italian Grammar Workbook, Second Edition is an innovative book of exercises and language tasks for all learners of Italian. The book is divided into two sections:
Section 1 provides exercises based on essential grammatical structures.
Section 2 practices everyday functions (e.g. making introductions, apologizing, expressing needs).
A comprehensive answer key at the back of the book enables you to check on your progress. Implementing feedback from the first edition, this second edition now features:
Exercises graded on a 3-point scale according to their level of difficulty;
Cross-referencing to the Modern Italian Grammar, Second Edition, for each and every exercise;
Topical exercises that develop your vocabulary.
Modern Italian Grammar Workbook is ideal for all learners of Italian: beginners, intermediate and advanced students. It can be used both independently and alongside the Modern Italian Grammar also published by Routledge.
Livro
This new edition of the Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide is an innovative reference guide to Italian, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume.
The Grammar is divided into two parts. Part A covers traditional grammatical categories such as word order, nouns, verbs and adjectives. Part B is carefully organized around language functions and notions such as:
- Giving and seeking information
- Describing processes and results
- Expressing likes, dislikes and preferences
This Grammar is complemented by the Modern Italian Grammar Workbook.
Livro
Modern French Grammar Workbook, Second Edition is an innovative book of exercises and language tasks for all learners of the language. The book is divided into two sections:
Section 1 provides exercises based on essential grammatical structures.
Section 2 practices everyday functions such as making introductions and expressing needs.
A comprehensive answer key at the back of the book enables you to check on your progress.
Implementing feedback from the first edition, this second edition now features:
- Exercises graded on a 3-point scale according to their level of difficulty
- Cross-referencing to the Modern French Grammar, Second Edition, for each and every exercise
- Topical exercises that develop your vocabulary
- An accompanying website (www.languages.routledge.com) with supplementary exercises.
Modern French Grammar Workbook is ideal for all learners of French: beginners, intermediate and advanced students. It can be used independently or alongside Modern French Grammar, Second Edition also published by Routledge.
Livro
This new edition of Modern French Grammar: A Practical Guide is an innovative reference guide to French, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. This popular Grammar has been updated and revised on the basis of user feedback.
Livro
Kate Burridge follows the international success of Blooming English with another entertaining excursion into the ever-changing nature of the complex and captivating English language. If language is a glorious garden, filled with exotic hybrids as well as traditional heritage specimens, then weeds will also thrive on its fertile grounds. Linguistic weeds may be defined as pronunciations or constructions that are no longer used. For example, Burridge points out how "aint" or double negatives were at one time quite acceptable in everyday speaking and writing but are now classified as "weeds" that should no longer have a place in our vocabulary. And, as she so deftly accomplished in Blooming English, Burridge goes on here to further celebrate our capacity to play with language, and to examine the ways we use it: in slang and jargon, swearing, speaking the unspeakable, or concealing unpleasant or inconvenient facts. In this new volume she gives us another fun and informative work for enjoyable browsing; for discovering intriguing trivia about language, history, and social customs; and for employing as a peerless weapon in word games. Kate Burridge is the Chair of Linguistics at Monash University and a regular presenter of segments on the Australian Broadcast Company.
