Search results for ""Author Marcel Danesi""

Equally accessible to college and high school students and the general public, this authoritative reference provides a complete listing of media concepts, figures, and techniques with illustrations and historical commentaries. Written by distinguished scholar and author Marcel Danesi, and with an introduction by Arthur Asa Berger, a leading figure in the world of media and communications, the dictionary also includes terms related to psychology, linguistics, aesthetics, computer science, semiotics, culture theory, anthropology, & more that have relevance in media studies. Each entry includes a definition in simple, clear language; an illustration where applicable, and historical commentary (who coined a term for example, why, who uses it, etc.). A bibliography, a directory of online resources, and a time-line of pop culture events that relate to media studies add to the dictionary's usefulness and appeal.

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All the skill-building Italian language practice you need—with five books in one value-packed volume—plus support from the McGraw Hill Language Lab appThe most effective way to learn any new language is to practice, practice, and practice, and no other workbooks put as much emphasis on this as the Practice Makes Perfect series. In Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Italian All-in-One, you get five skill-building titles to help you build a solid foundation of verbs, vocabulary, grammar and conversational skills—all in one value-packed workbook.This easy-to-use, one-stop resource includes thorough explanations that are reinforced by hundreds of hands-on practice exercises to help you build the skills needed to break through the barrier to competency and fluency in Italian. Enhanced with a comprehensive index that makes it easy to reference all grammar explanations throughout the book, it's an ideal resource for both advanced beginning and intermediate level learning. This Premium Edition also includes extensive support through McGraw Hill’s unique Language Learning app, featuring streaming audio recordings of 48 dialogues and the answers to 85 exercises, a helpful "record yourself" feature and much more. Value-packed volume contains core content from five titles in the series: Complete Italian Grammar; Italian Conversation; Italian Verb Tenses; Italian Sentence Builder; Italian Problem Solver Integrated approach allows you to study and develop your language skills at your own level and pace This edition is supported by the McGraw Hill Language Lab app, with streaming audio recordings to enhance speaking and listening skills, and online flashcards for all vocabulary lists—now with Text-to-Speech pronunciation guidance

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Updated premium edition of the fast, painless guide to learning the fundamentals of Italian The updated third edition of Italian DeMYSTiFieD provides readers with the comprehensive, step-by-step educational experience that has made the DeMYSTiFieD language series such a success. This established, unintimidating approach to speaking, reading, and writing a new language takes the mystery and menace out of the learning process, whether in class or at home. Hundreds of quiz and test questions, chapter-opening objectives, and specific recommendations for difficult subtopics and individual weaknesses help readers with basic grammar structures and verb tenses, pronunciation, essential vocabulary, and communicating with confidence. In addition to DeMYSTiFieD’s time-tested strategies, this edition features brand new streaming audio recordings and mobile chapter review quizzes via the unique McGraw-Hill Language Lab app. · Established method for learning Italian grammar and vocabulary, enhanced with interactive end-of-chapter quizzes.· 70 minutes of audio recordings in new convenient mobile app format, freeing learners from obsolete disks and cumbersome delivery methods.· Easy-to-understand “Still Struggling?” icons offer specific recommendations for difficult topics and end-of-chapter questions reinforce learning and pinpoint weaknesses Marcel Danesi (Toronto, Ontario) is Professor of Semiotics and Anthropology at the University of Toronto and the author of numerous books on learning Italian.

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Cognitive mathematics provides insights into how mathematics works inside the brain and how it is interconnected with other faculties through so-called blending and other associative processes. This handbook is the first large collection of various aspects of cognitive mathematics to be amassed into a single title, covering decades of connection between mathematics and other figurative processes as they manifest themselves in language, art, and even algorithms. It will be of use to anyone working in math cognition and education, with each section of the handbook edited by an international leader in that field.

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One of the most famous anagrams of all time was constructed in the Middle Ages. The unknown author contrived it as a Latin dialogue between Pilate and Jesus. Jesus’ answer to Pilate’s question "What is truth" is phrased as an ingenious anagram of the letters of that very question: Pilate: Quid est veritas? ("What is truth?") Jesus: Est virqui adest. ("It is the man before you.")The origin of anagrams is shrouded in mystery. One thing is clear, however—in the ancient world, they were thought to contain hidden messages from the gods. Legend has it that even Alexander the Great (356–323 b.c.) believed in their prophetic power. —from Chapter TwoThe most obvious explanation for the popularity of puzzles is that they provide a form of constructive entertainment. But in The Puzzle Instinct Marcel Danesi contends that the fascination with puzzles throughout the ages suggests something much more profound. Puzzles serve a deeply embedded need in people to make sense of things. Emerging at the same time in human history as myth, magic, and the occult arts, the puzzle instinct, he claims, led to discoveries in mathematics and science, as well as revolutions in philosophical thought.Puzzles fill an existential void by providing "small-scale experiences of the large-scale questions that Life poses. The puzzle instinct is, arguably, as intrinsic to human nature as is humor, language, art, music, and all the other creative faculties that distinguish humanity from all other species."

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Presents an introduction to the field of cultural semiotics. This book features many practical examples of how semiotics can be used. It is suitable for those who want to understand the whys and wherefores of semiotics.

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The Semiotics of Love brings together work on early symbolism, literary practices, and contemporary communication on the theme of romance and the idea of love to forge an understanding of the semiotic-cultural side of romance. Moving beyond psychological and neuroscientific scholarly analyses of love, Marcel Danesi works to interrogate the cultural constructions of love across societies. This book analyzes romantic love from the general perspective of semiotics—that is, from its more generic interpretive angle, rather than its more technical one. The specific analytical lens used is based on the notion that we convert our feeling structures into sign structures (words, symbols) and sign-based constructions (texts, rituals, etc.), which then allow us to reflect upon something cognitively, rather than just experience it physically and emotionally.

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All the practice and instruction you need to communicate effectively in Italian—now with an enhanced app featuring text-to-speech!If you are a beginner to intermediate Italian language learner, getting a handle on grammar is your key to communicating correctly and effectively. In Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Italian Grammar, you'll find tons of practice and everything else you need—instruction, clear explanations, and comparisons to English grammar—to build your knowledge and communicate more effectively in Italian.Based on the successful approach of the Practice Makes Perfect series, Complete Italian Grammar, Premium Fourth Edition covers all aspects of Italian grammar you'll need to master, from all the key verb tenses to noun, adjective, pronoun, and preposition usage. Crystal-clear explanations, realistic examples and extensive array of engaging exercises help you focus your efforts on the practical aspects of communicating in Italian. With an additional boost from the high-frequency vocabulary used throughout the book and an answer key for reference and quick feedback, Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Italian Grammar is the best, most indispensable workbook to help you upgrade your command of the language.

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Today's youths live in a world that sees their rebellious behavior and esoteric lifestyles as a "natural" part of growing up. But this is hardly natural. In effect, adolescence was forged as a social experiment 150 years ago, when school attendance became mandatory beyond puberty. As a result, adolescence came to be marked not only as a separate and troubled period in the lifecycle, but also as an all-encompassing social problem, requiring the intervention of social institutions. My Son Is an Alien is an entertaining, informative look at cultural influences on teenagers and adolescents. Based on interviews with hundreds of teens, pre-teens, and parents, each chapter sketches out a facet of the adolescent's cultural portrait, from body image and slang to peer pressure and drugs. Non-technical and filled with facts, commentaries, anecdotes, and resources, it also includes numerous features on topics like teen expressions and the least family-friendly TV shows. Marcel Danesi proposes several strategies for changing the prevailing mindset on adolescence. Among these are dispelling the myth that "experts" and "professionals" are the ones to whom we must turn for advice in raising children and that adolescents must be seen as mature individuals who should be reconnected to the adult society to which they rightfully belong.

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Dating back to antiquity, semiotics is both a "technique" and a "science" that aims to understand the nature of meaning. An academic discipline in its own right, semiotics uses signs, such as words and symbols, to think, communicate, reflect, transmit, and preserve knowledge. Since the initial publication of The Quest for Meaning in 2007, the world has changed dramatically with the advent of online culture, new technologies, and new ways of making signs and symbols. Updated to reflect these many changes, the second edition includes a comprehensive chapter on the use of semiotics in the Internet age. Written in a student-friendly style, featuring examples from everyday life, the book explains what semiotics is all about and why it is so important for gaining insights into our elusive and mysterious human nature.

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Semiotics, Media Studies and Communication Studies are three closely interlinked fields. Briefly stated, Semiotics, the science of signs, looks at how humans search for and construct meaning; Communication Studies is concerned with how meaning is conveyed; and Media Studies considers the ways in which messages are transmitted and received. This dictionary is designed to help students and general readers unlock the significance of the terminology and jargon commonly used in these fields. Being interdisciplinary in nature, Semiotics, Media, and Communication Studies are cluttered with notions derived from other disciplines. Hence, this dictionary also encompasses basic concepts from the fields of anthropology, archaeology, psychology, psychoanalysis, linguistics, philosophy, artificial intelligence, computer science, and biology. Collected here are the terms, concepts, personages, schools of thought, and historical movements that appear frequently in the relevant literature. The basis of each entry is a simple definition, which often includes the term's origin. Illustrations are provided where necessary, along with historical sketches of movements or schools of thought. The commentary on personages consists of brief statements about their contribution and relevance. Thus, the dictionary not only defines what a term means, but often goes into its history, applications, and broad implications. Terms are cross-referenced and their etymology is given where possible. This is a compact, practical research manual that will relieve much tension for students in semiotics and related fields. Because of its interdisciplinary approach, it will also provide a range of scholars with a handy reference to disciplines distinct from but related to their own.

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Learn to speak Italian as fluently as Italians do—an indispensable guide, now with a timely new chapter on remote communicationWhether you're learning Italian now at an intermediate level or looking to brush up on your Italian conversational skills, Practice Makes Perfect: Italian Conversation offers a unique and effective way to learn to speak the language fluently and spontaneously. You'll get a handle on sentence building right away, through extensive exercises that let you practice what you've learned through engaging dialogues and numerous real-life examples.Based on the successful approach of the Practice Makes Perfect series, Practice Makes Perfect: Italian Conversation, Premium Third Edition is organized around 11 units that present specific conversational functions, from Striking Up a Conversation to Giving Opinions, each exemplified with short dialogues that are also available as audio recordings via app. The units provide you the opportunity not simply to converse, but to build and support your knowledge of the language with essential instruction on correct pronunciation, grammar, syntax and word usage. Proven approach to learning helps you get a handle on Italian conversation right away, and build on your learnings as you go Supported by audio recordings, via app, of all 60 dialogues, plus numerous exercise answers 850 exercise questions help you practice what you've learned through dialogues and practical examples A special conversational "markers" table in the index shows important elements of conversation that have no exact equivalents in English NEW: Includes a timely chapter on remote communication (video conferencing)

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More practice to expand your Italian skillsThe Practice Makes Perfect series has helped thousands learn the basics of Italian, from vocabulary to prepositions, verbs, and beyond. Now this innovative series turns its attention to advanced students of Italian who have the foundation of good language skills and want to take their knowledge to the next level. To help you evolve your language skills, this book focuses on more sophisticated grammar topics that are essential to constructing longer, more complex sentences. They especially highlight more troublesome areas, such as the correct use of object pronouns.

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Today's youths live in a world that sees their rebellious behavior and esoteric lifestyles as a 'natural' part of growing up. But this is hardly natural. In effect, adolescence was forged as a social experiment 150 years ago, when school attendance became mandatory beyond puberty. As a result, adolescence came to be marked not only as a separate and troubled period in the lifecycle, but also as an all-encompassing social problem, requiring the intervention of social institutions. My Son Is an Alien is an entertaining, informative look at cultural influences on teenagers and adolescents. Based on interviews with hundreds of teens, pre-teens, and parents, each chapter sketches out a facet of the adolescent's cultural portrait, from body image and slang to peer pressure and drugs. Non-technical and filled with facts, commentaries, anecdotes, and resources, it also includes numerous features on topics like teen expressions and the least family-friendly TV shows. Marcel Danesi proposes several strategies for changing the prevailing mindset on adolescence. Among these are dispelling the myth that 'experts' and 'professionals' are the ones to whom we must turn for advice in raising children and that adolescents must be seen as mature individuals who should be reconnected to the adult society to which they rightfully belong.

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The first comprehensive encyclopedia for the growing fields of media and communication studies, the Encyclopedia of Media and Communication is an essential resource for beginners and seasoned academics alike. Contributions from over fifty experts and practitioners provide an accessible introduction to these disciplines' most important concepts, figures, and schools of thought - from Jean Baudrillard to Tim Berners Lee, and podcasting to Peircean semiotics. Detailed and up-to-date, the Encyclopedia of Media and Communication synthesizes a wide array of works and perspectives on the making of meaning. The appendix includes timelines covering the whole historical record for each medium, from either antiquity or their inception to the present day. Each entry also features a bibliography linking readers to relevant resources for further reading. The most coherent treatment yet of these fields, the Encyclopedia of Media and Communication promises to be the standard reference text for the next generation of media and communication students and scholars.

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Dating back to antiquity, semiotics is both a "technique" and a "science" that aims to understand the nature of meaning. An academic discipline in its own right, semiotics uses signs, such as words and symbols, to think, communicate, reflect, transmit, and preserve knowledge. Since the initial publication of The Quest for Meaning in 2007, the world has changed dramatically with the advent of online culture, new technologies, and new ways of making signs and symbols. Updated to reflect these many changes, the second edition includes a comprehensive chapter on the use of semiotics in the Internet age. Written in a student-friendly style, featuring examples from everyday life, the book explains what semiotics is all about and why it is so important for gaining insights into our elusive and mysterious human nature.

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Semiotics is being applied more and more to the study of digital media, which have made the production and use of new sign forms a daily event-forms that seem to evanesce almost as quickly as they emerge. These include, especially, memes, emojis, and digital narratives. How are these affecting our perception of meaning? What do they imply for the future narration of history? These are the types of questions that will be examined in this book. It has been written in as non-technical a style as possible, covering the main aspects of traditional semiotic theory and projecting them onto the contemporary world of digital communications.

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Designed for classroom use in a number of disciplines, this comprehensive introduction to cultural semiotics is also an easy-to-use reference for those who would like a better understanding of the topic. No other text provides this kind of practical framework for the classroom study of semiotics. Each of the 12 chapters is clearly written and self-contained.

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This is the first book to examine murder through the written word--not only the writings of the killers themselves, but also the story of murder as told in literary fiction and the crime dramas that are now a staple of film and television. The authors--a criminologist specializing in cold cases, written evidence, and forensic science, and an anthropologist who has dealt with the signs and ciphers of organized crime and street gangs in his previous work--are widely recognized experts in this emerging specialty field. Based on extensive research and interviews with convicted murderers, the book emphasizes the often-overlooked narrative impulse that drives killers, with the authors explaining how both mass and serial murderers perceive their crimes as stories and why a select few are compelled to commit these stories to writing whether before, during, or after their horrific acts. The book also analyzes the written work of killers, using a combination of machine-based linguistic patterning, predictive modeling, and symbolic interpretation, to make sense of the screeds of everyone from the Son of Sam and the Zodiac Killer to the Columbine attackers, the Unabomber, and the recent spate of mass shooters using social media as their preferred narrative platform. They present a theoretical perspective of murder that is based on both the criminological evidence and written works. In addition, the authors examine famous literature that has dealt ingeniously with murder and its relationship with real crime, from the Greek tragedians to Truman Capote to modern-day productions such as Making a Murderer. This unique approach offers a new means to penetrate the minds of murderers, revealing their motives as well as the wider social meanings of this age-old crime and our continuing fascination with it.

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