Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics Books

Book SynopsisIn this in-depth work, Richards defines rhetoric as the study of misunderstanding and its remedies. Focusing on how words work in discourse, he examines the interaction of words with each other and with their contexts, demonstrating how a continual synthesis of meaning--or principle of metaphor--gives life to discussion. He also argues that we can better control and animate our use of words, and therefore decrease misunderstanding, by comprehending the waymeaning changes in discourse.Trade Review"Chosen largely to present the philosophy of language informing [Richards's] approach....Should stimulate thoughtful re-examinations of our own positions on the important issues Richards addresses."--Freshman English News "Masterful (and manageable)....Has long been needed."-D.G. Myers, Texas A&M University "A deftly compiled reader."--William Doreski, Keene State College "Written in a lively style...Coherent and valuable."--John F. Cox, University of Arizona "This is perhaps one of the best texts for rhetoric courses I've found, and I intend to use it each time I teach graduate/undergraduate rhetorical theory and other language-theory courses."--Professor Lynn Dianne Beene, University of New Mexico "....an important part of the foundation of contemporary rhetoric. Clear and to the point, Richards illuminates the place rhetoric occupies in human societies."--Dr. William O. Boggs, Slippery Rock University

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn a book that blends anecdote with analysis, Kathleen Hall Jamieson--author of the award-winning Packaging the Presidency--offers a perceptive and often disturbing account of the transformation of political speechmaking. Jamieson addresses such fundamental issues about public speaking as what talents and techniques differentiate eloquent speakers from non-eloquent speakers. She also analyzes the speeches of modern presidents from Truman to Reagan and of political players from Daniel Webster to Mario Cuomo. Ranging from the classical orations of Cicero to Kennedy''s Ich bin ein Berliner speech, this lively, well-documented volume contains a wealth of insight into public speaking, contemporary characteristics of eloquence, and the future of political discourse in America.Trade Review"An eye-opening, well-written text which clearly describes how radio and television have influenced our political discourse. No one can fully understand politics in the Electronic Era without consulting this fine volume."--David W. Anderson, Indiana University, South Bend"In her most timely and instructive book, Eloquence in an Electronic Age, Jamieson...casts her learning on the political rhetoric (or 'eloquence') of today, drawing on fascinating comparisons with historical practice....Applying her own criteria, we see that Ms. Jamieson's work not only makes an excellent book, but it would make an excellent speech."--James David Barber, The New York Times Book Review"Kathleen Hall Jamieson has produced an interesting, well-researched and indeed important book ..." Political Studies"Stimulating and thoughtful....Jamieson takes us on a tour of rhetoric from the Greeks to Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, with side trips to examine the problems of less successful communicators, such as Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter."--The Christian Science Monitor"An excellent summary of a subject that in some ways touches us all. Jamieson's in-depth summaries of the speaking styles of Truman, Dewey, Reagan, Carter, Bush, and Ferraro are classic and classy."--Kirkus Reviews"Jamieson's scholarship, her command of ideas, and her insights are superb."--Los Angeles Times"A brilliant and engrossing study of how American rhetoric has changed over the years....Rich in anecdote, often extremely funny, scholarly, and somewhat unsettling."--The Washington Post Book World"A brilliant and engrossing study of how American rhetoric has changed over the years. It is rich in anecdote, often extremely funny, scholarly, and somewhat unsettling....This is [also] an important book, about much more than highfalutin' phrasing. It is about our very soul as a nation, for what our leaders say reflects what we are.""--The Washington Post Book World"In this important study of the impact of television on presidential rhetoric, Kathleen Hall Jamieson shows how successful (and not so successful) presidents have measured up to the demand for up-close and personal communication....Couldn't be more timely. It conveys an enormous amount of information, some of it academic, some of it anecdotal, with charm and wit and wisdom."--The Houston Post"I'm extremely pleased by the integration of rhetorical theory with practical concerns of providing explanation and advice about political advice."--John McKiernan, University of South Dakota"An interesting book on a most important topic!"--David A. Freeman, Washburn University"If there was ever a doubt that the mass media have changed politics, Jamieson's work removes that doubt once and for all."--Robert R. Mendenhall, Southwestern Adventist College"I'm extremely pleased by the integrtion of rhetorical theory into practical concerns of providing explanation and advice about political rhetoric."--John McKiernan, University of South Dakota"Insightful and thought provoking, Eloquence reminds students of the critical role of public discourse in the past and challenges them to apply critical tools of analysis to contemporary political and social leaders as they address the key issues of the day."--Dr. Kevin Dean, West Chester University"Conveys an enormous amount of information, some of it academic, some of it anecdotal, with charm and wit and wisdom. Its central thesis--that the TV style is the effeminate style--has remarkable explanatory power."--Christian Science Monitor"This volume is essential reading for political scientists, historians, and scholars of political communication."--Presidential Studies Quarterly"An excellent summary of a subject that in some ways touches us all. Jamieson's in-depth summaries of the speaking styles of Truman, Dewey, Reagan, Carter, Bush, and Ferraro are classic and classy."--Kirkus Reviews"[Jamieson's] probing analysis of presidential rhetoric provides some fascinating insights into the minds of America's recent leaders."--Booklist

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe concept of framing has been pivotal in research on social interaction among anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and linguists. This collection shows how the discourse analysis of frames can be applied to a range of social contexts. Tannen provides a seminal theoretical framework for conceptualizing the relationship between frames and schemas as well as a methodology for the discourse analysis of framing in interaction. Each chapter makes a unique theoretical contribution to frames theory while showing how discourse analysis can elucidate the linguistic means by which framing is accomplished in a particular interactional setting. Applied to such a wide-range of contexts as a medical examination, psychotic discourse, gender differences in sermon performance, boys'' sportscasting their own play, teasing among friends, a comparison of Japanese and American discussion groups, and sociolinguistic interviews, the discourse analysis of framing emerges here as a fruitful new avenuTrade ReviewA stimulating and highly coherent frame analysis of naturally occurring discourse that should be accessible to both beginning and advanced students of discourse....This volume offers something for everyone. * Studies in Second Language Acquisition es *This volume is quite successful in renewing the study of framing in discourse, particularly since the papers it contains are rich in empirical data and utilize a number of methods for gathering and analyzing data. * Anthropological Linguistics *A stimulating and highly coherent frame analysis of naturally occurring discourse that should be accessible to both beginning and advanced students of discourse....This volume offers something for everyone. * Studies in Second Language Acquisition *This volume is quite successful in renewing the study of framing in discourse, particularly since the papers it contains are rich in empirical data and utilize a number of methods for gathering and analyzing data. * Anthropological Linguistics *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTannen collects five of her published essays on gender and language, which provide a background as well as a response to her bestselling You Just Don't Understand (1990). She adds an introduction that discusses the surprising reactions to that book and explains how these essays deal with the questions raised by the book's critics.Trade Reviewsets a standard for contemporary work on gender and discourse analysis...the empirical studies and critical reviews Tannen has collected (half of which are published here for the first time) cogently explain why we can no longer be satisfied with facile generalizations about differences between men's and women's discourse. * Discourse and Society *if one does not have the five articles already copied from the original sources, this is a worthwhile book, especially now that it has been released in paperback * Salvatore Attardo, Youngstown State University, Discourse & Society, Vol. 8(3) 1997 *

Read more less

Book SynopsisKronenfeld aims to present a comprehensive understanding of the process by which we use words in speech to refer to things in the world, and to develop a theory of the semantics of natural language which can account adequately for native speakers'' intuitions regarding word meanings and their word usage.Trade Review...Plastic Glasses and Church Fathers gets a high score....I strongly recommend the book for professionals and advanced graduate students... * Language in Society *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book studies interpreting between languages as a discourse process and as about managing ccommunication between two people who do not speak a common language. Roy examines the turn exchanges of a face-to-face interpreted event in order to offer a definition of interpreted events, describe the process of taking turns with an interpreter, and account for the role of the interpreter in terms of the performance in interaction.Trade ReviewThis is a useful text for interpreters and interpreter trainers alike, and it would be excellent required reading in graduate classes in interpreting (both practice and theory) as an introduction to the importance and relevance of discourse approaches to the field. * Language in Society *Table of Contents1. Overview ; 2. Discourse and Interpreting ; 3. Analyzing Interpreted Encounters ; 4. The Meeting and the Participants ; 5. Turn Exchanges in an Interpreted Professor-Student Conference ; 6. Role Performance in a Discourse Process ; 7. Interpreting as a Discourse Process ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis interdisciplinary work aims to cast light on the words of Jesus by taking the author's semantic theory of "universal human concepts" - concepts which are intuitively understandable and self-explanatory across languages - and bringing it to bear on Jesus' parables and the Sermon on the Mount.Trade ReviewThis is an unusual book. The author is an internationally renowned linguist and a committed Christian. * Theology *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this fascinating work, Scott Soames offers a new conception of the relationship between linguistic meaning and assertions made by utterances. He gives meanings of proper names and natural kind predicates and explains their use in attitude ascriptions. He also demonstrates the irrelevance of rigid designation in understanding why theoretical identities containing such predicates are necessary, if true.Trade ReviewIn this admirable book, Scott Soames provides well defended answers to some of the most difficult and important questions in the philosophy of language, and he does so with characteristic thoroughness, clarity, and rigor. * Canadian Journal of Philosophy *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis revised edition of Deborah Tannen''s first discourse analysis book, Conversational Style-first published in 1984-presents an approach to analyzing conversation that later became the hallmark and foundation of her extensive body of work in discourse analysis, including the monograph Talking Voices, as well as her well-known popular books You Just Don''t Understand, That''s Not What I Meant!, and Talking from 9 to 5, among others. Carefully examining the discourse of six speakers over the course of a two-and-a-half hour Thanksgiving dinner conversation, Tannen analyzes the features that make up the speakers'' conversational styles, and in particular how aspects of what she calls a ''high-involvement style'' have a positive effect when used with others who share the style, but a negative effect with those whose styles differ. This revised edition includes a new preface and an afterword in which Tannen discusses the book''s place in the evolution of her work. Conversational Style isTrade ReviewPraise for earlier edition: "By far the most interesting and accessible--and fun!--introduction to conversational style that I know of. Students love it, and I use it as a required textbook whenever I teach sociolinguistics."--Doug Biber, Northern Arizona UniversityPraise for earlier edition: "Interesting and valuable for both laypersons and students."--LanguagePraise for earlier edition: "A contribution not only for the general reader but for any researcher or student interested in conversation."--Language and SocietyTable of ContentsREFERENCES; AUTHOR INDEX; SUBJECT INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisAdding a new introduction and two previously unpublished papers, Discourse and Practice: New Tools for Critical Discourse Analysis brings together Van Leeuwen''s methodological work on discourse analysis of the last 15 years. Discourse, Van Leeuwen argues, is a resource for representation, a knowledge about some aspect of reality which can be drawn upon when that aspect of reality has to be represented, a framework for making sense of things. And they are plural. There can be different discourses, different ways of making sense of the same aspect of reality that serve different interests and will therefore be used in different social contexts. However abstract some discourses are, discourses ultimately always represent doings, Van Leeuwen argues. Doing is the foundation of knowing, and social practices are the foundation of discourses. Studying children''s books, newspaper reports, brochures and other texts, as well as photographs and children''s toys, Van Leeuwen investigates what canTable of ContentsPreface; ; Chapter 1: Discourse as the recontextualization of social practice; ; 1. The supersedure of meaning by function; ; 2. Discourse as the recontextualization of social practice; ; 3. Social practices; ; Chapter 2: Representing social actors; ; 1. A sociosemantic inventory; ; 2. Our Race Odyssey; ; 3. Exclusion; ; 4. Role Allocation; ; 5. Genericisation and specification; ; 6. Assimilation; ; 7. Association and dissociation; ; 8. Indetermination and differentiation; ; 9. Nomination and categorization; ; 10. Functionalisation and identification; ; 11. Personalisation and impersonalisation; ; 12. Overdetermination; ; 13. Conclusion; ; Chapter 3: Representing social action ; 1. Introduction; ; 2. Reactions; ; 3. Material and semiotic action; ; 4. Objectivation and descriptivization; ; 5. De-agenitalization ; 6. Generalization and abstraction; ; 7. Overdetermination; ; 8. Conclusion; ; Chapter 4: Time in discourse; ; 1. Introduction; ; 2. The socio-semantics of location and extent; ; 2.1. Time summons; ; 2.2. Synchronisation; ; 2.3. Punctuality; ; 2.4. Exact and inexact timing; ; 2.5. Unique and recurring timing; ; 3. Experiencing Duration; ; 4. Managing Time; ; 5. Two examples; ; Chapter 5: Space in discourse; ; 1. Introduction; ; 2. Locating action; ; 3. Arranging and interpreting space; ; 4. Description and legitimation; ; 5. Subjective and objective space; ; 6. Word and image; ; Chapter 6: The discursive construction of legitimation; ; 1. Introduction; ; 2. Authorization; ; 3. Moral evaluation; ; 4. Rationalization; ; 5. Mythopoesis; ; 6. Multimodal legitimation; ; 7. Legitimation and context; ; Chapter 7: The discursive construction of purpose; ; 1. Introduction; ; 2. Purpose and Legitimation; ; 3. The grammar of purpose; ; Chapter 8: The visual representation of social actors; ; 1. Word and image; ; 2. The image and the viewer; ; 3. Depicting people; ; Chapter 9: Representing social actors with toys; ; 1. Introduction; ; 2. Roles, identities, meanings; ; 3. Preschool Playmobil; ; 4. Playing with Playmobil

Read more less

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

Read more less

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 *

Read more less

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

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book synthesizes and integrates 40 years of research on the semantics of questions, and its interface with pragmatics and syntax. It will be a unique resource for the novice and expert alike, and seeks to appeal to a variety of readers without compromising depth and breadth of coverage.Table of ContentsGeneral preface Acknowledgments 1: Introducing questions and answers 2: A theory of questions and answers 3: Exhaustive and non-exhaustive answers 4: Single-pair, pair-list, and functional answers 5: Embedded questions 6: Weak islands and extraction 7: Wh inside islands 8: Focus and alternatives 9: Non-canonical questions Afterword References Index

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisSeries Editor's Preface Notes on Contributors Introduction: European Union Enlargement and Citizen Empowerment; C.H.Williams PART I: MINORITY LANGUAGES IN THE LEGAL CONTEXT Language Rights Standards in Europe: The Impact of the Council of Europe's Human Rights and Treaty Obligations; F.De Varennes Unity in Diversity. The Role of the European Parliament in Promoting Minority Languages in Europe; M.Stolfo A New Multilingual United Kingdom? The Impact of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; W.McLeod Does Legislation Change Perception and Behaviour? Attitudes and Perceptions of the Welsh Language in Legal Proceedings; C.F.Huws Bilingual Websites in Jurisdictions Requiring Minority Language Use: Effective Implementation of Policies and Guidelines; A.Deere & D.Cunliffe PART II: LANGUAGE VITALITY AND PROMOTION: THEORETICAL ASPECTS Governance Without Conviction; C.H.Williams An Evaluation Matrix for Ethno-Linguistic Vitality; M.Ehala PART III: LANGUAGE VITALITY AND PROMOTIOTable of ContentsSeries Editor's Preface Notes on Contributors Introduction: European Union Enlargement and Citizen Empowerment; C.H.Williams PART I: MINORITY LANGUAGES IN THE LEGAL CONTEXT Language Rights Standards in Europe: The Impact of the Council of Europe's Human Rights and Treaty Obligations; F.De Varennes Unity in Diversity. The Role of the European Parliament in Promoting Minority Languages in Europe; M.Stolfo A New Multilingual United Kingdom? The Impact of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; W.McLeod Does Legislation Change Perception and Behaviour? Attitudes and Perceptions of the Welsh Language in Legal Proceedings; C.F.Huws Bilingual Websites in Jurisdictions Requiring Minority Language Use: Effective Implementation of Policies and Guidelines; A.Deere & D.Cunliffe PART II: LANGUAGE VITALITY AND PROMOTION: THEORETICAL ASPECTS Governance Without Conviction; C.H.Williams An Evaluation Matrix for Ethno-Linguistic Vitality; M.Ehala PART III: LANGUAGE VITALITY AND PROMOTION: CASE STUDIES The Promotion of Arts and Culture as a Tool of Economic Regeneration: An Opportunity or a Threat to Minority Language Development? The Case of Gaelic in Scotland; D.Chalmers Cultural Development in Minority Regions: The Influence of Language Policies on Social Capital in Multilingual Regions; B.Winsa Welcome and Unwelcome Minority Languages; T.Wicherkiewicz Faroese: a National Language under Siege?; C.Benati Reconsidering The Role of Older Speakers in Language Planning; W.Bellin The Slovene Language in Italy: Paths to a Value-Added Position; S.Brezigar Internet and Minority Languages: a Study on Sardinian; G.Depau & A.Ghimenton CONCLUSION: Identity and Democracy in an Enlarged Europe; C.H.Williams Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisAddressing issues related to the physical, cultural, ideological and psychological relocation of English, this volume provides a critical examination of current sociolinguistic study of English in the world and suggests a new approach which focuses more on ideological and psychological aspects of the phenomenon.Trade Review'This is an innovative and thought-provoking monograph...[it] is thoughtful, well-written, and full of insights, drawn from the author's research as well as his personal experience. It is strongly recommended to all those interested in the development of world Englishes as a field research and pedagogy.' - Kingsley Bolton, World EnglishesTable of ContentsPreface English in the World Language and Nation Building World Englishes The Contradiction of Plurality English as a Lingua Franca The Location of English in Malaysia The Relocation of English References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is a practical and insightful guide for new MA TESOL students, providing information that will shape their expectations of the field and of their program. It discusses foundational information about the profession, as well as discussion and guidance regarding the graduate school experience.Trade Review'The book provides an excellent, accessible general introduction to core content areas and issues for students entering MA TESOL programs. It will be of great assistance to students in making sense of what can be a fairly bewildering span of theoretical perspectives, and it will also allow academic teaching staff to readily situate the particular orientations they wish to explore in more depth. It is a welcomed innovation in the professional development literature in the TESOL field.'- Susan Hood, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.Table of ContentsPreface PART I: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DISCIPLINE OF TESOL Situating Ourselves Language, Learning, and Teaching Key Concepts in TESOL PART II: STUDYING FOR YOUR MA TESOL Learning to Learn in Graduate School Research and the (Future) TESOL Instructor Professional Development in and beyond Graduate School Conclusion Appendix A: Common Acronyms in TESOL Appendix B: Websites for TESOL Information and Professional Development References Glossary Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTEUN VAN DIJK is Professor of Critical Discourse Analysis at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. He holds two honorary doctorates and has lectured widely in many countries, especially in Latin America. He is the editor of The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (4 vols, 1985) the introductory book Discourse Studies (2 vols., 1997) as well as the reader The Study of Discourse (5 vols., 2007). He has founded 6 international journals, Poetics, Text (now Text& Talk), Discourse& Society, Discourse Studies, Discourse& Communication and the internet journal in Spanish Discurso& Sociedad (www.dissoc.org), of which he still edits the latter four.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsis. . . Lightfoot, University of Maryland I feel that it is his most persuasive defense of the idea that the study of linguistic structure provides insight into the human mind. Newmeyer, University of WashingtonThis is an excellent contribution to the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind. . .

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn exploration of the intricacies of narrative theory. Considering a range of texts from Western literature over the past two centuries, Miller explores the way rhetorical devices and figurative language interrupt, break into, delay and expand storytelling.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis reader begins with an introduction on the craft of the essay which explores the history and diverse purposes of the form, and the struggle of learning to write in it. Eight essays on a range of subjects follow, demonstrating the wide range of possibilities available to the writer today.

Read more less