Author: Donald FairbairnPublisher: CUA Press
ISBN: 0813218667
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Understanding Language includes major sections on the noun and verb systems of the classical languages.
Author: April M. S. McMahonUnderstanding Language
Author: Roger FowlerPublisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000573877
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
It is widely recognized that language is humanity’s most distinctive and valuable faculty. In this work, originally published in 1974, Roger Fowler explains the character and absorbing interest of language. Designed as an introductory text for students and others concerned with human communication, the book is clearly and concisely written, yet it in no way oversimplifies its rich and complicated subject. The opening chapters set the scene by a discussion of the power of language in the social and psychological life of a man, while the main body of the book is an introduction to linguistics, the science of language study. Coverage is provided of the main topics in linguistic description – semantics, syntax, phonetics – as well as of the functions of language, its status in society and its relation to the individual. The reader is invited to participate in some advanced thinking within an up-to-date and consistent linguistic theory. Particular attention is given to the individual as language-learner, since the process of language acquisition illuminates most clearly the naturalness and the complexity of language. The author’s arguments are illustrated with hundreds of examples from English and other languages. Suggestions for further reading are included in the exposition, and the reader who follows the arguments and pursues the carefully arranged bibliographical recommendations will acquire a substantial insight into contemporary linguistics – the most important and advanced of the modern human sciences.
Understanding Language Understanding
Author: Ashwin RamPublisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262181921
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 524
Book Description
This book highlights cutting-edge research relevant to the building of a computational model of reading comprehension, as in the processing and understanding of a natural language text or story. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of reading, with contributions from computer science, psychology, and philosophy. Contributors cover the theoretical and psychological foundations of the research in discussions of what it means to understand a text, how one builds a computational model, and related issues in knowledge representation and reasoning. The book also addresses some of the broader issues that a natural language system must deal with, such as reading in context, linguistic novelty, and information extraction.
Understanding Language through Humor
Author: Stanley DubinskyPublisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139496948
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 213
Book Description
Students often struggle to understand linguistic concepts through examples of language data provided in class or in texts. Presented with ambiguous information, students frequently respond that they do not 'get it'. The solution is to find an example of humour that relies on the targeted ambiguity. Once they laugh at the joke, they have tacitly understood the concept, and then it is only a matter of explaining why they found it funny. Utilizing cartoons and jokes illustrating linguistic concepts, this book makes it easy to understand these concepts, while keeping the reader's attention and interest. Organized like a course textbook in linguistics, it covers all the major topics in a typical linguistics survey course, including communication systems, phonetics and phonology, morphemes, words, phrases, sentences, language use, discourses, child language acquisition and language variation, while avoiding technical terminology.
Understanding English Language Variation in U.S. Schools
Author: Anne H. Charity HudleyPublisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807774022
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 312
Book Description
In today’s culturally diverse classrooms, students possess and use many culturally, ethnically, and regionally diverse English language varieties that may differ from standardized English. This book helps classroom teachers become attuned to these differences and offers practical strategies to support student achievement while fostering positive language attitudes in classrooms and beyond. The text contrasts standardized varieties of English with Southern, Appalachian, and African American English varieties, focusing on issues that are of everyday concern to those who are assessing the linguistic competence of students. Featuring a narrative style with teaching strategies and discussion questions, this practical resource: Provides a clear, introductory explanation of what is meant by non-standard English, from both linguistic and educational viewpoints. Emphasizes what educators needs to know about language variation in and outside of the classroom. Addresses the social factors accompanying English language variation and how those factors interact in real classrooms. “A landmark book. . . . It guides linguists and educators as we all work to apply our knowledge on behalf of those for whom it matters most: students.” —From the Afterword by Walt Wolfram, North Carolina State University “In the ongoing debate about language we typically hear arguments about what students say and/or how they say it. Finally, a volume that takes on the ‘elephant in the parlor’—WHO is saying it. By laying bare the complicated issues of race, culture, region, and ethnicity, Charity Hudley and Mallinson provide a scholarly significant and practically relevant text for scholars and practitioners alike. This is bound to be an important contribution to the literature.” —Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin–Madison “An invaluable guide for teachers, graduate students, and all lovers of language. The authors provide a comprehensive and fascinating account of Southern and African American English, showing how it differs from standardized English, how those differences affect children in the classroom, and how teachers can use these insights to better serve their students.” —Deborah Tannen, University Professor and professor of linguistics, Georgetown University
Understanding Second Language Acquisition
Author: Lourdes OrtegaPublisher: Routledge
ISBN: 144411705X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
Whether we grow up with one, two, or several languages during our early years of life, many of us will learn a second, foreign, or heritage language in later years. The field of Second language acquisition (SLA, for short) investigates the human capacity to learn additional languages in late childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, after the first language --in the case of monolinguals-- or languages --in the case of bilinguals-- have already been acquired. Understanding Second Language Acquisition offers a wide-encompassing survey of this burgeoning field, its accumulated findings and proposed theories, its developed research paradigms, and its pending questions for the future. The book zooms in and out of universal, individual, and social forces, in each case evaluating the research findings that have been generated across diverse naturalistic and formal contexts for second language acquisition. It assumes no background in SLA and provides helpful chapter-by-chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading. Ideal as a textbook for students of applied linguistics, foreign language education, TESOL, and education, it is also recommended for students of linguistics, developmental psycholinguistics, psychology, and cognitive science. Supporting resources for tutors are available free at www.routledge.com/ortega.
Understanding Language Change
Author: Kate BurridgePublisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1315463008
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 314
Book Description
2 Changes to the lexicon -- Introduction -- 2.1 Gaining words - lexical addition -- 2.1.1 Compounding -- 2.1.2 Affixation -- 2.1.3 Backformation -- 2.1.4 Conversion -- 2.1.5 Abbreviation -- 2.1.6 Acronyms -- 2.1.7 Blending -- 2.1.8 Commonization -- 2.1.9 Reduplication -- 2.1.10 Borrowing -- 2.1.11 Sound symbolism -- 2.1.12 A final word on the processes -- 2.2 Losing words - lexical mortality -- 2.2.1 Obsolescence -- 2.2.2 "Verbicide"--2.2.3 Reduction -- 2.2.4 Intolerable homonymy -- 2.3 Etymology - study of the origin of words -- Summary -- Further reading -- Exercises
Understanding Language in Diverse Classrooms
Author: Marilyn ShatzPublisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136700641
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 186
Book Description
With the increasing linguistic and cultural diversity of students in U. S. schools, all teachers, regardless of the content area or grade they teach, need research-based strategies for assisting all students to gain English proficiency. This practical, concise guide shows teachers what they need to know about language, how it is learned, how it is used, and how teaching about it can be incorporated into lessons throughout the curriculum. Understanding Language in Diverse Classrooms offers a model of how learning takes place and describes the critical role of teachers in that model. It includes comparison charts showing how some of the most common heritage languages represented among present-day students compare with English, and it provides examples of hands-on materials including checklists, rating scales, and sample lessons to help teachers prepare to teach all their students in diverse classrooms. Each chapter ends with questions to stimulate discussion and reflection on major chapter points, to enable readers to review and evaluate the information and then integrate it into their own practice.
Understanding Semantics
Author: Sebastian LoebnerPublisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134647158
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 275
Book Description
This series provides approachable, yet authoritative, introductions to all the major topics in linguistics. Ideal for students with little or no prior knowledge of linguistics, each book carefully explains the basics, emphasising understanding of the essential notions rather than arguing for a particular theoretical position. Understanding Semantics offers a complete introduction to linguistic semantics. The book takes a step-by-step approach, starting with the basic concepts and moving through the central questions to examine the methods and results of the science of linguistic meaning. Understanding Semantics unites the treatment of a broad scale of phenomena using data from different languages with a thorough investigation of major theoretical perspectives. It leads the reader from their intuitive knowledge of meaning to a deeper understanding of the use of scientific reasoning in the study of language as a communicative tool, of the nature of linguistic meaning, and of the scope and limitations of linguistic semantics. Ideal as a first textbook in semantics for undergraduate students of linguistics, this book is also recommended for students of literature, philosophy, psychology and cognitive science.
