Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics Books

Book SynopsisA skillfully updated edition of The F-Word which renders a comprehensive portrait of English''s most notorious and colorful word. No word has generated more uses, more creative euphemisms, and more strong opinions than fuck. Jesse Sheidlower''s historical dictionary, now in print for over 25 years, charts the uses of fuck and its many permutations, from absofuckinglutely to zipless fuck. It illustrates every sense of every entry with quotations, from the earliest that can be found to a recent example, showing exactly how the word has been used throughout history.This new edition is not just a minor update but a comprehensive revision of Sheidlower''s groundbreaking text for the internet age. Major new discoveries push back the known history of fuck by almost two hundred years. Sheidlower also considers rapidly changing attitudes towards the use of fuck in public discourse. The volume includes over 2,500 new quotations; over 150 new antedatings (earlier examples of existing entries, improving our understanding of the word''s development); and over 150 entries, including high-profile recent uses such as AF ''as fuck'', fuckboi, and the group of expressions of the sort to give no fucks or zero fucks given.

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Book SynopsisSetting out to reinstate rhetoric, this book opens with an overview of the rhetorical system as developed in classical times. In Defence of Rhetoric surveys and analyses material from Aristotle to Plato through the Renaissance to the modern novel and the critical theories of Roman Jakobson and Paul de Man.Trade Review'One of Vickers's great accomplishments is that, with an erudition as deep as his touch is light, he shows the central role rhetoric has actually played in Western culture ... Vickers's book is also a triumph of formal exposition. It contains a remarkably lucid account of the three genres of oratory ... It also includes the best and clearest discussion of the rhetorical tropes and figures of which I am aware. It is full of excellent examples of various devices, and it provides a magnificent instance of formal rhetorical criticism in its analysis of the use of the figures and tropes in the "Aeolus" episode in Joyce's Ulysses.' Times Literary Supplement'Professor Vickers is concerned not only to defend rhetoric but also to recount its history. He traces its recovery in the Renaissance in fascinating detail ... Brian Vickers presents a traditionally conceived, squarely intellectual case ... the general character of his method is clear ... His defence of rhetoric is itself not rhetorical but rational.' The London Review of Books'It counts as a great virtue of Brian Vicker's In Defence of Rhetoric that he succeeds in charting the moving borders of rhetoric with magisterial simplicity, and in such a way as to uncover the fundamental issues of its relation to dialectic ... This is a powerful study; surely one of the most significant and interesting general studies of rhetoric ever produced.' Alastair Fowler, Times Higher Education Supplement'Brian Vicker's book about rhetoric is itself a magnificent example of one of the three traditional rhetorical kinds, the judicial ... He is properly eloquent and energetic in rhetoric's defence' The English Association'Vickers not only covers the span of Western thought, not only teaches about a neglected subject, but also actually trains us to see rhetoric at work and enjoy it ... It awakens in one a hunger for shaped speech, for eloquence.' Christian Science Monitor'V. has written a book which may well become a standard text for students of the Classical Tradition' S. Usher, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London. Classical Review'subtle both in style and in the content of its argument' Modern Law Review, Vol 53 No 4 July '90'This is a rich, stimulating, and absorbing book. The book is beautifully printed.' B.D.H. Miller, Brasenose College, Review of English Studies, Vol. 44, May 1993Table of ContentsList of Illustrations References 1. An Outline of Classical Rhetoric - Rhetoric and Life - The Major Texts - The Main Processes of Rhetoric a) The Three Genres b) The Stages of Composition c) The Parts of a Speech d) The Orator's Three Duties e) The Three Styles 2. Plato's Attack on Rhetoric 3. Territorial Disputes: Philosophy versus Rhetoric - Responses to Plato - The Triumph of Rhetoric - The Revenge of Philosophy 4. Medieval Fragmentation 5. Renaissance Reintegration 6. The Expressive Function of Rhetorical Figures 7. Rhetoric and the Sister Arts 8. Rhetoric in the Modern Novel 9. Epilogue: The Future of Rhetoric Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisConceptual primitives and semantic universals are the cornerstones of a semantic theory which Anna Wierzbicka has been developing for many years. Semantics: Primes and Universals is a major synthesis of her work, presenting a full and systematic exposition of that theory in a non-technical and readable way. It delineates a full set of universal concepts, as they have emerged from large-scale investigations across a wide range of languages undertaken by the author and her colleagues. On the basis of empirical cross-linguistic studies it vindicates the old notion of the ''psychic unity of mankind'', while at the same time offering a framework for the rigorous description of different languages and cultures.Trade Reviewa selective reading of the chapters based on need and interest is well worth it, especially if the need and interest are comparative semantic data, where Wierzbicka is at her best...This is a good and interesting book, it is well worth reading./William Frawley/Journal of Linguistics.One cannot help but be impressed by the range of language-related topics Wierzbicka's work encompasses and by the thorough control commanded by her of the relevant literature pertaining to these diverse areas. Equally impressive are the insights that Wierzbicka's analyses provide. * Cecil H. Brown, Northern Illinois University, Anthropological Linguistics 39 No 1 1997 *SCC is a welcome addition to Wierzbicka's inexhaustible semantic explications, revealing as it does a general theory and application that can be challenged, tested, and modified. The wide range of topics is typical of those that anyone involved in a cross-cultural work would need to explore, explain and translate ... such detailed analysis can help the native speakers of a language to become more aware of the semantic implications of the words and expressions that they use. * K.J. Franklin, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Australian Journal of Linguistics *

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Book SynopsisA profoundly arresting integration of the faculties of the mind - of how we think, speak, and see the world. Written with an informality that belies the originality of its insights and the radical nature of its conclusions, this is the author's most important book since his groundbreaking Foundations of Language in 2002.Trade ReviewRay Jackendoff is a monumental scholar in linguistics who, more than any scholar alive today, has shown how language can serve as a window into human nature. Combining theoretical depth with a love of revealing detail, Jackendoff illuminates human reason and consciousness in startling and insightful ways. * Steven Pinker *Ray Jackendoff has an uncanny ability to ask interesting and pressing questions. Anyone interested in language and thought should ask such questions. The asking itself is the primary intellectual act - that, and of course the ordering of the asking, which is by no means obvious and constantly problematical, as he well knows and kindly informs the reader. As for providing answers, pivotal questions may have answers, but they are complex and never simple and thus require extremely careful expression. In his effort to treat his readers in a way that is warm and friendly, he sometimes employs phrases ("kind of," "sort of," "well, like," and other things relaxed speakers tend to say) which I do not find essential, but which for others will surely have the effect of making the issues clear and comprehensible. * Peter Bloom, Professor of Humanities, Smith College *Clear and concise. The pace is perfect: very short chapters making for a very enjoyable read ... As an introduction to a cognitivist perspective on linguistic meaning and thought, this is an extremely helpful book in both tone and content. * Tadeusz Zawidzki, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsPART ONE: LANGUAGE, WORDS, AND MEANING; PART TWO: CONSCIOUSNESS AND PERCEPTION; PART THREE: REFERENCE, TRUTH, AND THOUGHT; PART IV: A LARGER VIEW

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Book SynopsisBanter, chit-chat, gossip, natter, tete-a-tete: these are just a few of the terms for the varied ways in which we interact with one another through conversation. David Crystal explores the factors that motivate so many different kinds of talk and reveals the rules we use unconsciously, even in the most routine exchanges of everyday conversation.Trade ReviewA useful addition to an English teacher's armoury and certain to pique students' interest in the language that happens all around them, all the time... Let's Talk is a powerful statement about our species and the centrality to it of conversation in all its collaborative glory. * Nikolai Luck, Teaching English *For Crystal, the aim of a conversation is to make everyone happy or, at least, satisfied at the end ... [he] has definitely achieved that. * Training, Language & Culture *For the teacher or advanced student there are masses of insights in the book and examples of how language is used to manage conversation... For Crystal the aim of a conversation is to make every-one happy or, at least, satisfied at the end. Citing Dr Johnson once again, conversation should create 'a pleasing impression'. David Crystal has definitely achieved that. * Barry Tomalin, Training, Language & Culture *I've always enjoyed Crystal's books and this one was no exception... it's certainly a good read I would recommend to anyone with an interest in language or conversation. * Shiny New Books *Table of Contents1: Greetings! 2: In the beginning... 3: A thousand years of conversation 4: Exchanges 5: Taking turns - or not 6: Interrupting 7: What we talk about 8: How we talk about it 9: Taking it easy 10: Story-telling 11: Stylistic options 12: The vocal and the visual 13: Conversation as theatre 14: Online 'conversations' 15: Cultural conversations 16: Breaking the rules 17: Does conversation change? 18: #Almost done Epilogue References Index

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Book SynopsisWritten by an internationally recognised expert in the field, The Politics of the Earth provides an authoritative and engaging introduction to environmental politics through a unique, discourse-centred approach. With his lively and accessible writing style, John S. Dryzek analyses how we construct and interpret the environment through language, guiding the reader through the discourses that dominate this arena, including ecological limits, sustainability and green radicalism.The fourth edition has been thoroughly updated to take in key developments in environmental affairs, including an examination of the implications of the Anthropocene concept and need for ecological reflexivity, with updated coverage of the Paris Agreement on climate change and Sustainable Development Goals, weaving in throughout a wealth of contemporary examples to illuminate the discussion. It also contains a ground-breaking new chapter on ''Gray Radicalism'', in which the author provides an innovative overview anTrade ReviewThis new edition perfectly balances an introduction to key concepts in environmental politics with some of the key debates and tensions within the field. It makes for extremely compelling and accessible reading that will be useful to both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students, as well as those simply wishing to learn more about environmental protection. * Dr Jeremy Moulton, University of York *Table of ContentsPart I Introduction 1: Making Sense of Earth's Politics: A Discourse Approach Part II Global Limits and their Denial 2: Looming Tragedy: Limits, Boundaries, Survival 3: Growth Unlimited: The Promethean Response Part III Solving Environmental Problems 4: Leave it to the Experts: Administrative Rationalism 5: Leave it to the People: Democratic Pragmatism 6: Leave it to the Market: Economic Rationalism Part IV The Quest for Sustainability 7: Greener Growth: Sustainable Development 8: Industrial Society and Beyond: Ecological Modernization Part V Radicalism 9: Changing People: Green Consciousness 10: New Society: Green Politics 11: Backlash: Gray Radicalism Part VI Conclusion 12: Encountering the Anthropocene

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Book SynopsisThis book provides an integrated account of the main prepositions of English, outlining their various forms and illustrating contrastive senses. It is written in a clear and accessible style, and will be of interest to to students and scholars of the English language, including instructors of English as a second language.Table of ContentsPreliminaries Abbreviations and conventions 1: A story to tell Part I. The Stage is Set 2: Grammatical roles 3: Phrasal verbs 4: Prepositional verbs Part II. The Players 5: The mainstays: of, for 6: Supporting artists: by, with, together, together-with, except(-for), but(-for), despite, in-spite-of 7: The central spatial prepositions: at, to, toward(s), from 8: Enclosure: in, into, out, out-of; within, without, inside(-of), outside(-of) 9: Connection and adjacency: On, upon, onto, off, off-of; against; beside(s) 10: Superiority: up, up-to, down 11: Position: Over, under, above, below, beneath, underneath; behind, ahead(-of), in-front(-of), back, forth, forwards(s), backward(s); beyond, near(-to), close-to, far-from; along alongside, across, through, throughout 12: Distribution: among(st), amid(st), between, in-between; (a)round; about, concerning 13: Separation: Apart(-from), aside(-from), away(-from) 14: Temporal: Since, because(-of); until/till, up-until/up-till; during; after, afterward(s), before, beforehand; past; and more 15: Do it your way Sources and notes References Index

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Book SynopsisIn this, the first of two ground-breaking volumes on the nature of language in the light of the way it evolved, James Hurford looks at how the world first came to have a meaning in the minds of animals and how in humans this meaning eventually came to be expressed as language. He reviews a mass of evidence to show how close some animals, especially primates and more especially apes, are to the brink of human language. Apes may not talk to us but they construct rich cognitive representations of the world around them, and here, he shows, are the evolutionary seeds of abstract thought - the means of referring to objects, the memory of events, even elements of the propositional thinking philosophers have hitherto reserved for humans. What then, he asks, is the evolutionary path between the non-speaking minds of apes and our own speaking minds? Why don''t apes communicate the richness of their thoughts to each other? Why do humans alone have a unique disposition to reveal their thoughts in Trade Reviewthis is a model exercise in how substantial theorizing about language evolution can be achieved. It is entertainingly written but not oversimplistic, interdisciplinary but not at the expense of rigor; and [Hurford] is open about the limits of his own expertise, yet never afraid to stretch them. He is to be congratulated on formulating insights that he offers with a precision that makes disagreement, hence advances, possible ... this is a delightful and thought-provoking read. [Hurford] has set in train a rich vein of research that continues to provide an unceasing flow of insights. I warmly recommend it and very much look forward to its follow-up volume. * Ruth Kempson, Language18/04/2011 *we are fortunate when scholars like Hurford...offer us carefully constructed proposals based on years of toil... both accessible and respectful of the reader's intelligence. * N.J.Enfiled, Times Literary Supplement *very readable and satisfying book...admirably persuasive and thought provoking... * Grover Hudson, Linguistlist *Has Hurford achieved his goal of describing the evolutionary foundations of language? Yes, elegantly and in accomplished detail. * Nature *valuable * Roy Harris, Times Higher Education Supplement *A wonderful read - lucid, informative, and entertaining, while at the same time never talking down to the reader by sacrificing argumentation for the sake of "simplicity". It is likely to be heralded as the major publication dealing with language evolution to date. * Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington *Hurford's aim is nothing less than to bring language into Darwin's reach. Many attempts to press natural selection into innovative service fail through too analogical an approach failing to mesh with the realities of some other discipline. Hurford's sheer practicality and professional appreciation of modern biology have produced a work of the highest academic seriousness that would without question have delighted Darwin himself. The project can fairly be described as the abolition of the division between linguistics and biology, and has significant broad implications for philosophers and social scientists, as well as more focussed ones for biologists, linguists and anthropologists. * Alan Grafen, Professor of Theoretical Biology, University of Oxford *To explain the evolution of language, one must explain the evolution of both a system of communication and a system of thought - a way of representing and communicating about the world. In The Origins of Meaning, James Hurford does just this. Writing as a linguist, he clarifies for biologists the complexities that must be explained in an evolutionary account of language, while at the same time illuminating for his colleagues in linguistics the rich communicative and representational abilities of animals - from which we can begin to reconstruct the semantic and pragmatic origins of language. The Origins of Meaning is synthetic, provocative, and intellectually rich. * Robert Seyfarth, professor of psychology, University of Pennsylvania, and co-author of Baboon Metaphysics. *[a] fascinating examination... * Morning Star *...a unique, interdisciplinary story of the development of language as we know it today... Hurford is undoubtedly comfortable with his subject matter. He weaves science and theory together expertly. * Science and Spirit *Table of ContentsPART I MEANING BEFORD COMMUNICATION ; 1. Let's Agree on Terms ; 2. Animals Approach Human Cognition ; 3. A New Kind of Memory Evolves ; 4. Animals Form proto-propositions ; 5. Towards Human Semantics ; PART II COMMUNICATION: WHAT AND WHY? ; 6. Communication by Dyadic Acts ; 7. Going Triadic: Precursors of Reference ; 8. Why Communicate? Squaring With Evolutionary Theory ; 9. Cooperation, Fair Play and Trust in Primates ; 10. Epilogue ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book contains updated and substantially revised versions of Angelika Kratzer''s classic papers on modals and conditionals, including ''What must and can must and can mean'', ''Partition and Revision'', ''The Notional Category of Modality'', ''Conditionals'', ''An Investigation of the Lumps of Thought'', and ''Facts: Particulars or Information Units?''. The book''s contents add up to some of the most important work on modals and conditionals in particular and on the semantics-syntax interface more generally. It will be of central interest to linguists and philosophers of language of all theoretical persuasions.Trade ReviewThe book's contents add up to some of the most important work on modals and conditionals. It will be of central interest to linguists and philosophers of language of all theoretical persuasions. * MathSciNet *An indispensible resource. * François Recanati, Institut Jean Nicod *This book is a treasure of the puzzles, illustrations, and parables that have shaped the modern view of the language of modals and conditionals. It defines the standard against which all theorizing on the subject is to be measured. A classic. * Barry Schein, University of Southern California *This work collects and dramatically expands upon Angelika Kratzer's now classic papers. There is scarcely an area of philosophy that remains or will remain untouched by their influence. * Jason Stanley, Rutgers University *Table of Contents1. What Must and Can Must and Can Mean ; 2. The Notional Category of Modality ; 3. Partition and Revision: The Semantics of Counterfactuals ; 4. Conditionals ; 5. An Investigation of the Lumps of Thought ; 6. Facts: Particulars or Information Units? ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a readable and clearly articulated introduction to the field of Cognitive Linguistics. It explores the far-reaching implications of Eleanor Rosch''s seminal work on categorization and prototype theory, extending the application of prototype theory from lexical semantics to morphology, syntax, and phonology. The third edition is fully revised and updated to include the considerable developments in Cognitive Linguistics since 1987. It covers recent research on polysemy, meaning relatedness and metaphors, as well as expanding the discussion of syntactic categories and the relevance of computer simulations.Table of Contents1. The Categorization of Colour ; 2. The Classical Approach to Categorization ; 3. Prototype Categories: I ; 4. Prototype Categories: II ; 5. Linguistic and Encyclopedic Knowledge ; 6. Polysemy and Meaning Chains ; 7. Category Extension: Metonymy and Metaphor ; 8. Polysemy, or: How many meanings does a word really have? ; 9. Polysemous Categories in Morphology and Syntax ; 10. Polysemous Categories in Intonation ; 11. Grammatical Categories ; 12. Syntactic Constructions as Prototype Categories ; 13. Prototype Categories in Phonology ; 15. The Acquisition of Categories ; 16. Recent Developments ; Advice on Further Reading ; Study Questions ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book investigates the nature of generalization in language and examines how language is known by adults and acquired by children. It looks at how and why constructions are learned, the relation between their forms and functions, and how cross-linguistic and language-internal generalizations about them can be explained. Constructions at Work is divided into three parts: in the first Professor Goldberg provides an overview of constructionist approaches, including the constructionist approach to argument structure, and argues for a usage-based model of grammar. In Part II she addresses issues concerning how generalizations are constrained and constructional generalizations are learned. In Part III the author shows that a combination of function and processing accounts for a wide range of language-internal and cross-linguistic generalizations. She then considers the degree to which the function of constructions explains their distribution and examines cross-linguistic tendencies in arTrade ReviewI have found Ionstructions at WorkR^ a must-have book. The author's elegance and clarity of vision, her knowledge of research beyond linguistics proper, as well as her empathy with the reader and her honesty about the not-so-clear cases, are engaging. * J. Carlos Acuna-Farina, University of Santiago de Compostela *an important contribution to the study of how language operates in the mind and in the world and how these operations relate. * Folia Linguistica *Table of ContentsPart One: Constructions ; 1. Overview ; 2. Surface Generalizations ; 3. Item Specific Knowledge and Generalizations ; Part Two: Learning Generalizations ; 4. How Generalizations are Learned ; 5. How Generalizations are Constrained ; 6. Why Generalizations are Learned ; Part Three: Explaining Generalizations ; 7. Island Constraints and Scope ; 8. Grammatical Categorization: Subject Auxiliary Inversion ; 9. Cross-linguistic Generalizations in Argument Realization ; 10. Variations on a Constructionist Theme ; 11. Conclusion ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive introduction to the ways in which meaning is conveyed in language. Alan Cruse covers semantic matters, but also deals with topics that are usually considered to fall under pragmatics. A major aim is to highlight the richness and subtlety of meaning phenomena, rather than to expound any particular theory.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition 'Written in clear and concise language, this book offers comprehensive coverage of the topics in the study of meaning in language. Students will profit considerably by reading this excellent text' * Huimin Ji, University of Georgia *'The book introduces the reader to the complex topic of meaning in language, providing and excellent comprehensive survey of the full range of semantic phenomena. The author is aware that the richness and variety of the presented topic could cause feelings of confusion, especially to less experienced readers, and thus offers a text with extensive explanatory power.' * Gabriela Missikova, University of Constantine the Philosopher *Praise for the new edition 'Building on the many strengths of the first edition of Meaning in Language, Alan Cruse has significantly updated this already valuable textbook. New thinking about lexical semantics can be found alongside concise and pithy illustrations of all aspects of pragmatics and grammar, making this an excellent resource for any reader interested in the nuts and bolts of linguistic meaning.' * Mark Turin, Digital Himalaya Project, University of Cambridge *Table of ContentsPART 1 FUNDAMENTAL NOTIONS ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Logic and Meaning ; 3. Concepts and Meaning ; PART 2 WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS ; 4. Lexical Units ; 5. Contextual Variability of Word Meaning ; 6. Paradigmatic Relations of Inclusion and Identity ; 7. Paradigmatic Relations of Exclusion and Opposition ; 8. Lexical Hierarchies ; 9. Syntagmatic Semantic Relations ; 10. Describing Lexical Senses 1: Dimensions and Structures ; 11. Describing lexical Senses 2: Approaches to the Specification of Word Meanings ; 12. Extensions of Meaning ; PART 3 GRAMMATICAL MEANING ; 13. Grammatical Meaning: Nouns and Noun Phrases ; 14. Argument Structure and Transitivity ; 15. Grammatical Meaning: Verbs and Adjectives ; 16. The Semantics of Prepositions ; 17. The Semantics of Derivational Affixes ; PART 4 PRAGMATICS ; 18. Speech Acts ; 19. Reference and Deixis ; 20. Conversational Implicatures ; Epilogue ; Answers to Questions ; References ; Author Index ; Subject Index

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Book SynopsisThe work of Donald Davidson transformed the study of meaning. Lepore and Ludwig, two of the world's leading authorities on Davidson's work, present the definitive study of his widely admired and influential program of truth-theoretic semantics for natural languages, giving an exposition and critical examination of its foundations and applications.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition An outstanding book on Davidson's achievement in philosophical semantics...a model of excellent scholarship both for students and scholars. * Journal of Pragmatics *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Truth-theoretic semantics: basic framework ; 2. Quantifiers ; 3. Implementation of the extension of the truth theory to quantifiers ; 4. Proper names, indexicals and simple demonstratives ; 5. Complex demonstratives ; 6. The semantics of quotation ; 7. Adjectives and adverbs ; 8. The simple tenses of state and event verbs ; 9. Temporal adverbials and quantifiers ; 10. Tense in sentential complements and the perfect tenses ; 11. Opaque contexts: indirect discourse and attitude sentences ; 12. Non-declarative sentences ; 13. Semantic structure and logical form ; 14. Truth and correspondence

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Book SynopsisThis book makes an original contribution to the understanding of perception verbs and the treatment of argument structure, and offers new insights on lexical causation, evidentiality, and processes of cognition. Perception verbs - such as look, see, taste, hear, feel, sound, and listen - present unresolved problems for theories of lexical semantics. This book examines the relations between their semantics and syntactic behaviour, the different kinds of polysemy they exhibit, and the role of evidentiality in verbs like seem and sound. In unravelling their complexity Nikolas Gisborne looks closely at their meanings, modality, semantic relatedness, and irregularity. He frames his exposition in Word Grammar, and draws extensively on work in cognitive linguistics and construction grammar. After an opening chapter explaining the nature of the issues, Dr Gisborne presents a concise introduction to Word Grammar. He then considers the implications of his approach for a general theory of event sTrade ReviewThe fact that Gisborne commits himself to English does not undermine the book's usefulness to other languages. It will be a valuable reference work for linguists interested in areas of lexical semantics including causation, argument-linking, and polysemy. It is clearly written and well argued... This book is rich in argumentation and presents interesting data that provides more comprehensive understanding of English perception verbs. * SIL Electronic Book Reviews *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Word Grammar ; 3. Causation and Relations Between Events: An Introduction to Word Grammar Semantics ; 4. Network Structure and the Polysemy of SEE ; 5. Perception Verbs and the Semantics of Content ; 6. Non-finite Complementation ; 7. SOUND-class Verbs ; 8. Conclusion ; References

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Book SynopsisSociety's attitudes to rhetoric are often very negative. Here, Richard Toye provides an engaging, historically informed introduction to rhetoric, from Ancient Greece to the present day. Wide-ranging in its scope, this Very Short Introduction is the essential starting point for understanding the art of persuasion.Trade ReviewRhetoric matters. To explicate this shaggy beast in 35,000 words is no small challenge, and Toye succeeds with a consistently light touch. * The Speechwriter *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. From the Greeks to Gladstone ; 2. The scaffolding of rhetoric ; 3. Approaches to rhetoric ; 4. Rhetoric in the modern world ; Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe goal of inquiry is to acquire knowledge of truths about the world. In this book, Jason Stanley argues that knowing how to do something amounts to knowing a truth about the world. When you learned how to swim, what happened is that you learned some truths about swimming. Knowledge of these truths is what gave you knowledge of how to swim. Something similar occurred with every other activity that you now know how to do, such as riding a bicycle or cooking a meal. Of course, when you learned how to swim, you didn''t learn just any truth about swimming. You learned a special kind of truth about swimming, one that answers the question, ''How could you swim?'' Know How develops an account of the kinds of answers to questions, knowledge of which explains skilled action. Drawing on work in epistemology, philosophy of mind, ethics, action theory, philosophy of language, linguistic semantics, and cognitive neuroscience, Stanley presents a powerful case that it is our success as inquirers thaTrade Reviewrich and insightful * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *a remarkable book * Mark Schroeder, University of Southern California *Stanleys work presents a diligent analysis of knowledge how, viewed as a variety of knowledge that. * Marek Lechniak, Forum Philosophicum *Table of ContentsContents ; 1. Ryle on Knowing How ; 2. Knowledge-wh ; 3. PRO and the Representation of First-Person Thought ; 4. Ways of Thinking ; 5. Knowledge How ; 6. Ascribing Knowledge How ; 7. The Cognitive Science of Practical Knowledge ; 8. Knowledge Justified ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis Handbook provides a comprehensive account of current research on case and the morphological and syntactic phenomena associated with it. The semantic roles and grammatical relations indicated by case are fundamental to the whole system of language and have long been a central concern of descriptive and theoretical linguistics. The book opens with the editors'' synoptic overview of the main lines of research in the field, which sets out the main issues, challenges, and debates. Some sixty scholars from all over the world then report on the state of play in theoretical, typological, diachronic, and psycholinguistic research. They assess cross-linguistic work on case and case-systems and evaluate a variety of theoretical approaches. They examine current issues and debates from historical, areal, socio-linguistic, and psycholinguistic perspectives. The final part of the book consists of a set of overviews of case systems representative of some of the world''s major language families. TTrade ReviewA coherent, well-structured and useful collection of authoritative overview articles as well as many specific studies ... The overview articles of the individual parts are state-of-the-art, the great majority of the topic-specific papers are helpful introductions to voluminous literatures and/or complex issues, and the language-specific studies will be valuable sources of reference for years to come. * Fernando Zúñiga, Studies in Language *...anyone who wishes to understand the phenomenon of case from any point of view will find something of interest... * Leofranc Holford-Stevens, London Review of Books *The Oxford Handbook of Case (despite occasional, mainly technical, flaws) measures up to the most exacting standards and could serve in many respects as a model for handbooks of this sort. It will undoubtedly prove an invaluable resource not only to professional linguists but particularly to a very wide circle of students. * Voprosy Jazykoznanija *Table of ContentsPART I: THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO CASE; PART II: MORPHOLOGY OF CASE; PART III: SYNTAX OF CASE; PART IV: CASE IN (PSYCHO)LINGUISTIC DISCIPLINES; PART V: AREAL AND DIACHRONIC ISSUES; PART VI: INDIVIDUAL CASES: CROSS-LINGUISTIC OVERVIEWS; PART VII: SKETCHES OF CASE SYSTEMS

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Book SynopsisThis book offers an introduction to the analysis of meaning. Our outstanding ability to communicate is a distinguishing feature of our species. To communicate is to convey meaning, but what is meaning? How do words combine to give us the meanings of sentences? And what makes a statement ambiguous or nonsensical? These questions and many others are addressed in Paul Elbourne''s fascinating guide. He opens by asking what kinds of things the meanings of words and sentences could be: are they, for example, abstract objects or psychological entities? He then looks at how we understand a sequence of words we have never heard before; he considers to what extent the meaning of a sentence can be derived from the words it contains and how to account for the meanings that can''t be; and he examines the roles played by time, place, and the shared and unshared assumptions of speakers and hearers. He looks at how language interacts with thought and the intriguing question of whether what language we speak affects the way we see the world. Meaning, as might be expected, is far from simple. Paul Elbourne explores its complex issues in crystal clear language. He draws on approaches developed in linguistics, philosophy, and psychology - assuming a knowledge of none of them -in a manner that will appeal to everyone interested in this essential element of human psychology and culture.Trade ReviewThis is a perfect guide to what semantics is all about. The book is informative, scholarly, witty, entertaining, and funny. It doesn't shy away from hard puzzles and unsolved problems, and places semantics where it belongs: at the intersection of linguistics, logic, metaphysics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. * Angelika Kratzer, University of Massachusetts at Amherst *...provides an excellent introduction to central topics in the philosophy of language shaped by the linguistics turn...Elbourne writes lively prose and he conveys the sense that the contemporary study of meaning is rich, exciting and developing rapidly. * Philosophy in Review *an unintimidating and admirable entry-point into both the technical and the philosophical dimensions of semantics. * Daniel Harris, Mind *Table of Contents1. Definitions ; 2. What are Word Meanings? ; 3. Semantic Properties of Words ; 4. What are Sentence Meanings? ; 5. Semantic Properties of Sentences ; 6. Meaning and Grammar ; 7. Meaning and Context ; 8. Meaning and Thought ; 9. Conclusion ; Sources and Further Reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book investigates the relation between language and logic. Gennaro Chierchia looks at the way syntactic and inferential processes interact in determining polarity sensitive and free choice phenomena. He analyses these as a form of grammaticized scalar implicature and seeks to identify the common core of the polarity system by examining many of its manifestations as well as the choices that determine its diversity. To do so he reassesses the relations between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics and in the process makes startling insights into the relation of syntax to logic. Rudolf Carnap''s classic, The Logical Syntax of Language, defines syntax as a lexicon and a set of formation rules and logic as a set of inference rules. Modern generative linguistics maintains a similar modular approach: a combinatorial apparatus is said to generate structures over which semantic and pragmatic relations, such as presupposition and implicature, are defined. This book argues by contrast that many Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Spontaneous Logicality of Language ; 2. Scalar Implicatures at the Interface Between Pragmatics and Syntax ; 3. Even Negative Polarity Items and Only Negative Polarity Items ; 4. Presuppositionality, Strength, and Concord in Polarity Systems ; 5. Existential Free Choice ; 6. Universal Free Choice ; 7. Intervention ; 8. Where We Stand ; References

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Book SynopsisThe War on Terror Narrative analyzes three types of data-presidential speeches, U.S. media discourse, and focus group interviews-to provide a longitudinal and holistic study of the formation, circulation, and contestation of the Bush administration''s narrative about the war on terror. The narrative sustains, in Foucault''s terms, a regime of truth by placing boundaries around what can meaningfully be said and understood about the subject. Adam Hodges illustrates that even as social actors resist the narrative and the policy it entails, they appropriate its language to be heard and understood. While this often works to strengthen the narrative, discourse is inevitably reshaped as it enters into new contexts. This recontextualization allows for the introduction of new meanings, and therein lies the potential for resistance and social transformation. Hodges argues that applying ideas on intertextuality to the analysis of political discourse is central to understanding the way micro-levelTrade Review[Hodge's] well-designed and well-executed multi-disciplinary study goes a long way in helping us understand the dynamic and complex nature of the macro-micro relationship. * Patricia L. Dunmire, Journal of Language and Politics *Table of ContentsAPPENDIX A. CORPUS OF PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHES; APPENDIX B. TRANSCRIPTION CONVENTIONS FOR PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHES; APPENDIX C. TRANSCRIPTION CONVENTIONS FOR FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWS; MEDIA DISCOURSE DATA; REFERENCES; INDEX

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Book SynopsisVague words, like tall, rich, and old, lack clear boundaries of application: no clear line divides the tall people from the above average, or the old people from the middle-aged. Because they lack clear boundaries, these ordinary words cause logical and semantic problems in various disciplines including philosophy, decision theory, and the law. Philosophers and linguists have proposed several theories of vagueness to handle these difficulties, but none has been widely accepted.Raffman contends that virtually all previous treatments of vagueness have made two crucial mistakes: they have supposed that a semantic (non-epistemic) theory must abandon bivalence, and they have paid insufficient attention to the character of ordinary speech using vague words. She develops a new theory of vagueness-the multiple range theory-that corrects both of these errors. The new theory begins with the observation that ordinary speakers seem to apply vague words in multiple arbitrarily different but equallyTrade ReviewUnruly Words is a pleasure to read, and it provides plenty of material for thought and discussion. I strongly recommend it for anyone involved or interested in the philosophical debate on vagueness. * Jonas Akerman, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Introduction and Fundamentals ; 1.1. Whirlwind Tour of Competing Theories of Vagueness ; 1.2. Initial Observations (1): Blurred Boundaries, Sharp Boundaries, and Stopping Places ; 1.3. Initial Observations (2): Vagueness and Gradability ; 1.4. Initial Observations (3): Vagueness and Soriticality ; 1.5. Initial Observations (4): Vagueness and Context-Sensitivity ; 1.6. Vagueness and Rule-following ; 1.7. Two Policies and a Caveat ; 1.8. Selective Review ; 1.9. Looking Ahead ; 2. The In's and Out's of Borderline Cases ; 2.1. Lay of the Land ; 2.2. The Standard Analysis ; 2.3. The Incompatibilist Analysis ; 2.4. Objections and Replies ; 2.5. Symmetry, Indeterminacy, Higher-Order Borderlines, Accessibility; and Some Advantages of the Incompatibilist Analysis ; 2.6. Independently Fishy Features of Higher-Order Borderlines ; 2.7. Selective Review ; 2.8. Looking ahead. ; 3. Framework for a Semantics of Vagueness ; 3.1. Vagueness and Indexicality ; 3.2. Two Ingredients of Sense for Vague Words ; 3.3. A Refinement: Contexts of Utterance vs Intended Contexts ; 3.4. Selective Review ; 3.5. Looking Ahead ; 4. The Multiple Range Theory of Vagueness ; 4.1. Vagueness and Reference ; 4.2. Why Ranges of Application Are Not Precisifications ; 4.3. Progress Report and Two Criteria of Vagueness ; 4.4. Evaluation ; 4.5. Solving the Sorites ; 4.6. Verdicts on Some Specific Predicates ; 4.7. Vagueness, Soriticality, Borderlines, V-index-sensitivity, Gradability, ; and Indeterminacy: Relatives or Just Friends? ; 4.8. Selective Review ; 4.9. Looking Ahead ; Figures ; 5. The Competent Use of Vague Words ; 5.1. A Pragmatic Sorites ; 5.2. Testing for Hysteresis ; 5.3. Non-perceptual Hysteresis: Does Our Hypothesis Generalize? ; 5.4. Meaning and Use: Implementing the Multi-Range Semantics ; 5.5. An Etymological Speculation ; 5.6. The Truth About Tolerance ; 5.7. Looking Back: Rules, Reasons, and the Governing View ; Figures ; Appendix ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book offers both a naturalistic and critical theory of signs, minds, and meaning-in-the-world. It provides a reconstructive rather than deconstructive theory of the individual, one which both analytically separates and theoretically synthesizes a range of faculties that are often confused and conflated: agency (understood as a causal capacity), subjectivity (understood as a representational capacity), selfhood (understood as a reflexive capacity), and personhood (understood as a sociopolitical capacity attendant on being an agent, subject, or self). It argues that these facilities are best understood from a semiotic stance that supersedes the usual intentional stance. And, in so doing, it offers a pragmatism-grounded approach to meaning and mediation that is general enough to account for processes that are as embodied and embedded as they are articulated and enminded. In particular, while this theory is focused on human-specific modes of meaning, it also offers a general theory of meaning, such that the agents, subjects and selves in question need not always, or even usually, map onto persons. And while this theory foregrounds agents, persons, subjects and selves, it does this by theorizing processes that often remain in the background of such (often erroneously) individuated figures: ontologies (akin to culture, but generalized across agentive collectivities), interaction (not only between people, but also between people and things, and anything outside or in-between), and infrastructure (akin to context, but generalized to include mediation at any degree of remove).Table of ContentsFigures ; Tables ; 1. Semiotic Ontologies ; 1. Signs, Minds, and Meaning-in-the-World ; 2. Ontology, Interaction, and Infrastructure ; 2. Biosemiosis, Technocognition, and Sociogenesis ; 1. Relations between Relations ; 2. Significance and Selection ; 3. Communication between Conspecifics ; 4. The Organization of Cognitive Processes ; 5. Framing ; 6. Artificial and Natural Selection, Sieving and Serendipity ; 7. Lawn-Mowers and Logic Gates ; 8. Relations between Relations Revisited ; 9. Networks of Interconnected Envorganisms ; 10. The Evolution and Epidemiology of Culture ; 3. Enclosing and Disclosing Worlds ; 1. The Neo-Organon ; 2. Semiotic Processes, Social Theories, and Obviated Ontologies ; 3. Social Statuses, Material Substances, and Mental States ; 4. Relatively Emblematic Indices ; 5. Semiotic Agents and Generalized Others ; 6. From Performativity to Transformativity ; 4. Residence in the World ; 1. From Being-in-the-World to Meaning-in-the-World ; 2. Heeding Affordances ; 3. Wielding Instruments ; 4. Undertaking Actions ; 5. Inhabiting Roles ; 6. Fulfilling Identities ; 7. From Acting Under a Description to Comporting Within an Interpretation ; 5. Representations of the World ; 1. Intentionality Reframed ; 2. Cognitive Representations ; 3. Discursive Practices ; 4. From Theory of Mind to the Interpretation of Signs ; 5. Intentionality and Emblemeticity ; 6. Selfhood, Affect, and Value ; 1. I Err Therefore I am ; 2. From Subjectivity to Selfhood ; 3. From Cognition to Affect ; 4. Maps, Terrains, and Travelers ; 5. From Meaning to Value

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Book SynopsisExplores how anthropology can come to terms with "colonial library" and begin to develop an ethnographic practice that transcends politics of Africa's imperial past. This book develops a model of critical agency, focusing on a variety of language genres in Africa situated in rituals that transform socio-political relations.Trade Review"A counterintuitive rereading of classic anthropological texts from the colonial archive, Beyond Words proposes a brilliant solution to one of the most pressing intellectual/political issues in African studies today. Responding to trenchant critiques of anthropology's complicity with colonialism and Eurocentric thought, Apter argues that these texts - of Dogon cosmological reflection, of Tswana praise poetry - be reread as critical reflection on power and authority, as vernacular criticism that was history-making rather than history-erasing and politics-averse." - Charles Piot, Duke University"

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Book SynopsisWayne Booth wrote some of the most influential and engaging criticism, most notably the 1961 classic The Rhetoric of Fiction. This work illuminates the scope of Booth's rhetorical inquiry: the entire range of resources that human beings share for producing effects on one another.Trade Review"Wayne C. Booth [was] one of the preeminent literary critics of the second half of the twentieth century, whose life-long study of the art of rhetoric illuminated the means by which authors seduce, cajole, and more than occasionally lie to their readers in the service of narrative.... To Professor Booth, literature was not so much words on paper as it was a complex ethical act. He saw the novel as a kind of compact between author and reader: intimate and rewarding, but rarely easy. At the crux of this compact lay rhetoric, the art of verbal persuasion." - Margalit Fox, New York Times"

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Book SynopsisThis text illustrates how seemingly abstract stances on the nature of meaning can have significant and far-reaching linguistic consequences, leading to the detection of new facts and influencing the understanding of the syntax/semantics/pragmatics interface.Table of ContentsPreface 1: The Two Souls of Discourse Representation Theory 2: Dynamic Binding 3: Extensions: Reconstruction, Topicalization, and Crossover 4: Presuppositions and Definites Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisThese 12 original papers extend the mental-spaces framework developed by Gilles Fauconnier and demonstrate its utility in solving deep problems in linguistics and discourse theory. The contributors analyze a wide range of phenomena, including analogical counterfactuals and deictic expression.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1: Cognitive Links and Domains: Basic Aspects of Mental Space Theory Eve Sweetser, Gilles Fauconnier. 2: Mental Spaces, Constructional Meaning, and Pragmatic Ambiguity Claudia Brugman 3: Analogical Counterfactuals Gilles Fauconnier 4: Sorry, I'm Not Myself Today: The Metaphor System for Conceptualizing the Self George Lakoff 5: Subjective-Change Expressions in Japanese and Their Cognitive and Linguistic Bases Yo Matsumoto 6: Space Accessibility and Mood in Spanish Errapel Mejias-Bikandi 7: Cross-World Continuity and the Polysemy of Adverbial Still Laura A. Michaelis 8: Alternate Grounds in the Interpretation of Deictic Expressions Jo Rubba 9: Roles and Identificational Copular Sentences Shigeru Sakahara 10: Perspective and the Representation of Speech and Thought in Narrative Discourse Jose Sanders, Gisela Redeker. 11: Mental Spaces and the Grammar of Conditional Constructions Eve Sweetser 12: Conceptual Locations for Reference in American Sign Language Karen van Hoek Index

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