Now with a built-in Resource Manual and Study Guide, Language, Culture, and Society is the teaching text for the linguistic anthropology course.

    It examines the multi-faceted meanings and uses of language and emphasizes the ways that language encapsulates speakers' meanings and intentions.

    She proclaims, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. Using examples from literature, history, neighborhood signage, and her own imagination, Truss shows how meaning is shaped by commas and apostrophes, and the hilarious consequences of punctuation gone awry.Featuring a foreword by Frank McCourt, and interspersed with a lively history of punctuation from the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, Eats, Shoots & Leaves makes a powerful case for the preservation of proper punctuation.

    This engaging introductory language/linguistics textbook provides more extensive coverage of issues of particular interest to English majors and future English instructors. It invites all students to connect academic linguistics to the everyday use of the English language around them. The book's approach taps students' natural curiosity about the English language. Through exercises and discussion questions about ongoing changes in English, How English Works asks students to become active participants in the construction of linguistic knowledge.

    

    These books are really textbooks just for learning kanji. Each lesson covers about 10 characters and begins with a section called "About the kanji" which gives interesting background on the kanji you are about to learn. Next comes writing and reading lessons for each kanji. Lastly, there is a longer reading section followed by a game or some quiz.

    Today, linguists use massive computer power--including the world's largest language databank, the Oxford Corpus, which contains more than two billion words--to determine for the first time definitively how the English language is used. From evidence contained in the gargantuan Oxford Corpus, Jeremy Butterfield here uncovers a wealth of fascinating facts about the English language. Where does our vocabulary come from? How do word meanings change? How is our language really being used? This entertaining book has the up-to-date and authoritative answers to all the key questions about our language. Butterfield takes a thorough look at the English language and exposes its peculiarities and penchants, its development and difficulties, revealing exactly how it operates. We learn, for instance, that we use language in chunks of words--as one linguist put it, "we know words by the company that they keep." For instance, the word quintessentially is joined half the time with a nationality--something is "quintessentially American" or "quintessentially British." Likewise, in comparing eccentric with quirky, the Corpus reveals that eccentric almost always appears in reference to people, as an "eccentric uncle," while quirky usually refers to the actions of people, as in "quirky behavior." Using such observations, Butterfield explains how dictionary makers decide which words to include, how they find definitions, and how the Corpus influences the process. Covering all areas of English, from spelling and idioms to the future of English, and with entertaining examples and useful charts throughout, this compelling and lively book will delight word lovers everywhere.

    Almost automatically you will acquire a large working vocabulary that will suit your needs. As you work through the steps, use the sticky labels (included). At the back of the book, you will also find cut-out flash cards to make learning fun. When you have completed the book, cut out the menu at the back and take it along on your trip. Available in 11 languages.

    One man's funny war against loose talk!

    Any word might be knocked and buffeted, subjected to twists and turns, expansions and contractions, happy and unhappy accidents. There are intriguing tales behind even the most familiar terms, and they can say as much about the present as they do the past.Busking, for instance, originally meant piracy. Grin meant to snarl. A bimbo was a man; nice meant ignorant; glamor was magic, and a cupboard was a table. Buxom used to mean obedient; a cloud was a rock; raunchy originally meant dirty.Focusing on one hundred surprising threads in the evolution of English, The Accidental Dictionary reveals the etymological origins and quirky developments that have led to the meanings we take for granted today. It is a weird and wonderful journey into words.So, let's revel in its randomness and delight in its diversity—our dictionary is indeed accidental.

    Peterson comes a creative guide to language construction for sci-fi and fantasy fans, writers, game creators, and language lovers. Peterson offers a captivating overview of language creation, covering its history from Tolkien’s creations and Klingon to today’s thriving global community of conlangers. He provides the essential tools necessary for inventing and evolving new languages, using examples from a variety of languages including his own creations, punctuated with references to everything from Star Wars to Michael Jackson. Along the way, behind-the-scenes stories lift the curtain on how he built languages like Dothraki for HBO’s Game of Thrones and Shiväisith for Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World, and an included phrasebook will start fans speaking Peterson’s constructed languages. The Art of Language Invention is an inside look at a fascinating culture and an engaging entry into a flourishing art form—and it might be the most fun you’ll ever have with linguistics.

    Are you also struggling with the same problems as other people who learn languages? Do you recognize any of these? Many of us have families, a full-time job, and problems finding enough time to study. It’s difficult to ensure that we study regularly and make progress in the new language. We try to force ourselves to study regularly, so we register for language courses and pay for access to Internet apps, but this artificial motivation becomes quickly a flash in the pan. When we try to study we don’t know how to do it efficiently. What techniques should we use? How can we remember the vocabulary? How do we deal with the grammar? We try different solutions, but none brings the desired results. Why is it that some people are able to master more than ten languages? How do the polyglots find the time? What do they do to learn any language in a matter of months? As a teenager, Konrad Jerzak vel Dobosz wanted to become a polyglot, but like most of us he needed to deal with the same challenges: lack of time, lack of an efficient method of learning, difficulties memorizing the vocabulary, lack of motivation and the fear of making mistakes. He decided to analyze the methods of well-known polyglots, including Heinrich Schliemann, Emil Krebs and Giuseppe Mezzofanti. He took a close look at the approaches proposed by modern language learning experts Richard Simcott, Luca Lampariello, Moses McCormick and Benny Lewis. This book, The Secrets of Polyglots is the result of his analysis of the methods developed by the greatest polyglots. You can find here the description of the techniques used by the biggest experts, and also a step-by-step method, which Konrad Jerzak vel Dobosz used himself to learn more than ten languages. The Secrets of Polyglots was written especially for people who: - Need to learn a foreign language, but don’t have much time to study - Have registered for language courses, but aren’t happy with the results - Learn by themselves, but want more efficient techniques - Want to learn several languages simultaneously, but don’t know how to - Desire to be able to master any foreign language in a couple of months The first part is a description of 17 extremely efficient techniques and concepts that will improve your language learning process. The second part explains, step-by-step, the learning system used by the author, including a practical example of how to apply all the “secrets” described in the first part. Testimonials: “I need to say that I skip all kind of self-help guide type of books. But ‘The Secrets of Polyglots’ grabbed immediately my attention and, after reading just a couple of pages, I knew that I needed to buy this book. And it was worth it, because it opened my eyes to many different aspects of language learning that I had ignored previously. The great advantage of this book is lack of catchy slogans promising us language fluency just after a month of study. Instead, the author delivers reliable and very useful knowledge on how to gradually learn vocabulary and grammar, and also how to find motivation and develop our linguistic skills. I myself used the advice from Konrad’s book, and I can proudly say that after 1.5 years of studying Portuguese, I began communicating fluently in this language.

    Whether investigating the asterisk (*) and dagger (†)--which alternately illuminated and skewered heretical verses of the early Bible--or the at sign (@), which languished in obscurity for centuries until rescued by the Internet, Keith Houston draws on myriad sources to chart the life and times of these enigmatic squiggles, both exotic (¶) and everyday (&).From the Library of Alexandria to the halls of Bell Labs, figures as diverse as Charlemagne, Vladimir Nabokov, and George W. Bush cross paths with marks as obscure as the interrobang (‽) and as divisive as the dash (--). Ancient Roman graffiti, Venetian trading shorthand, Cold War double agents, and Madison Avenue round out an ever more diverse set of episodes, characters, and artifacts.Richly illustrated, ranging across time, typographies, and countries, Shady Characters will delight and entertain all who cherish the unpredictable and surprising in the writing life.

    HEre, collected for the first itme, are some of the most fascinatin, funniest, and strangest pieces that first debuted in its pages.With reputable contributors such as Richard Lederer, Jesse Sheidlower, Joew Queenana, Frederic Cassidy, and Bryuan Garner, as well as language "experts" of dubious distinction, VERBATIM is a smart and sassy collection for anyone seeking the highly scholarly or the completely frivolous. From the roots of medieval words to teh componenets of a British soccer chant, VERBATIM will offere seomething for every language lover and word nerd to enjoy.

    It features a “60-Second Secret Plan” for starting off, tips on running shoes and other equipment, and sample structured programs for improving health and endurance. In addition, there are quizzes to help newcomers assess their current fitness levels, a runner’s diary to track progress, and inspirational stories about sport’s life-changing effects. Colorful sidebars cover everything from how running produces chemical changes in the brain that improve one’s mood to strategies for adding distance to a weekly program.