Questions About Language
What Everyone Should Know About Language in the 21st Century
1st Edition
Published on 19. May 2020
198 pages
978-1-000-04329-7 (ISBN)
Description
Questions About Language sets out to answer, in a readable yet insightful format, a series of vital questions about language, some of which language specialists are regularly asked, and some of which are so surprising that only the specialists think about them.
In this handy guide, sixteen language experts answer challenging questions about language, from What makes a language a language? to Do people swear because they don't know enough words? Illustrating the complexity of human language, and the way in which we use it, the twelve chapters each end with a section on further reading for anyone interested in following up on the topic.
Covering core questions about language, this is essential reading for both students new to language and linguistics and the interested general reader.
In this handy guide, sixteen language experts answer challenging questions about language, from What makes a language a language? to Do people swear because they don't know enough words? Illustrating the complexity of human language, and the way in which we use it, the twelve chapters each end with a section on further reading for anyone interested in following up on the topic.
Covering core questions about language, this is essential reading for both students new to language and linguistics and the interested general reader.
Reviews / Votes
Suitable for expert and non-expert readers alike, this book offers accessible, thought-provoking and up-to-date discussions of a range of language-related topics. Engaging with a variety of questions from across the field of linguistics, the expert authors challenge commonly-held assumptions, prompting the reader to reflect on their own language attitudes and practices.Kate Scott, Kingston University, UK
'The authors strike a commendable balance between the technicalities of their subjects and the need to explain them in ordinary prose. The questions are well chosen and leave few stones unturned... Hopefully it will whet the curiosity of lay readers with an interest in language to continue exploring this fascinating discipline. '
Ross Smith MCIL
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
1 Tables, black and white; 4 Line drawings, black and white; 4 Illustrations, black and white
ISBN-13
978-1-000-04329-7 (9781000043297)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Laurie Bauer | Andreea S. Calude
Questions About Language
What Everyone Should Know About Language in the 21st Century
Book
06/2020
1st Edition
Routledge
€140.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Laurie Bauer | Andreea S. Calude
Questions About Language
What Everyone Should Know About Language in the 21st Century
Book
06/2020
1st Edition
Routledge
€37.30
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
Laurie Bauer FRSNZ is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He is the author of over twenty books including The Oxford Reference Guide to English Morphology (2013), which won the LSA's Leonard Bloomfield Prize. In 2017 he was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand's Humanities Medal.
Andreea S. Calude is a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She has a background in mathematics and linguistics and researches (spoken) grammar, language evolution, loanwords and just about any quantitative language-related question she can get data on. She has authored the TED ED Lesson "Does Grammar Matter?".
Andreea S. Calude is a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She has a background in mathematics and linguistics and researches (spoken) grammar, language evolution, loanwords and just about any quantitative language-related question she can get data on. She has authored the TED ED Lesson "Does Grammar Matter?".
Content
List of illustrations
About the contributors
Introduction
1. Do animals communicate using a language?
2. Is talking work doing work?
3. What makes a language a language?
4. Do people swear because they don't know enough words?
5. Is written grammar better than spoken grammar?
6. Is language change good or bad?
7. Are the sounds of languages influenced by climate, environment and biology?
8. Can you tell someone's sexuality from the way they speak?
9. Is learning a signed language easier than learning a spoken language?
10. Can you forget your native language?
11. Can people really disguise themselves when writing or speaking?
12. What is universal about intonation?
Index
About the contributors
Introduction
1. Do animals communicate using a language?
2. Is talking work doing work?
3. What makes a language a language?
4. Do people swear because they don't know enough words?
5. Is written grammar better than spoken grammar?
6. Is language change good or bad?
7. Are the sounds of languages influenced by climate, environment and biology?
8. Can you tell someone's sexuality from the way they speak?
9. Is learning a signed language easier than learning a spoken language?
10. Can you forget your native language?
11. Can people really disguise themselves when writing or speaking?
12. What is universal about intonation?
Index
