Book Description
REA's Super Reviews help students brush up on tough subjects. They are more thorough than ordinary subject reviews but less complex than voluminous study guides. Numerous solved problems accompany the review and bring it to life. The English Language Super Review includes an extensive review of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. A glossary of usage is also included. Exercises and quizzes enable students to check whether they have learned what they need to know, whether they understand the subject and have command of it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

All fantasy and SciFi fans should read this .
Not only is this a work of great scholarship and research it is also valuable in that it will educate the reader on the history of SciFi.However its focus is not history, but research into the possibilities of language and communication that could exist among alien species.The history aspect comes into play because Mr. Meyers sites so many examples from so many books by a plethora of authors.Some of the authors are from the early days of SciFi and some are more recent...well recent when the book was written.If you can find this book, get it.If you get it dedicate yourself to reading it for it is a valuable tool for learning much about ourselves.

An Underdeveloped Area of Study!
Aliens and Linguists: Language Study and Science Fiction by Walter Earl Meyers is a really good book and worth hunting up in the used book market. Published in 1980, it's a little out of date and very out of print, but still a good look at some of the way linguistics has been used, and abused, in science-fiction. Of course, there is also the prerequisite discussion of the most famous conlanger of all, J.R.R. Tolkien. But, mostly this book focuses on science-fiction.
A fair part of the book is spent criticizing the lack of good language use in science-fiction. Highlights include aliens that all speak our language. Or find it ridiculously easy to learn. But, also, the lack of language variation is hammered home as well as other similar errors. Another area of criticism is the lack of up-to-date use of theories and linguistic science in current, at the time, science-fiction. Linguistics, as well as the other so called "soft-sciences" were just getting their hooks into science-fiction at the time.
But, Meyers finds plenty to be happy about, as well. Sure, most writers took the Worf-Saphir theory way too far, but at least they were aware enough of it to use it. There are other good examples of linguistics in science-fiction as well.
Most interesting to me, was Meyers discussion of how aliens might approach language. First, there is every reason to believe that they will have language. It takes a lot of communication to get off a planet! Second, Meyers indicates that, while that language may be wildly different from our own, there's a good possibility that we can learn it, eventually. Meyers also explores alternate methods of using language, including how telepathy might work from a linguistic point of view.

In all, it was a great read. Especially if you want to write fiction about a "realistic" created world. Language is a part of every culture that we know of, so it must be part of a created culture, as well. A completely enjoyable book and a fascinating subject.

unusual: linguistics as portrayed in science fiction
I was lucky enough to find this book in a dim corner of Uris Library at Cornell U.As a sf enthusiast with some layman's knowledge of linguistics (mostly from the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language), I found itfascinating.

I do wish that someone would write an updated version, sincemany of the sf stories that Meyers refers to can be hard to find.Also, Ifound his religious adherence to the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis amusing...butthen, I don't know what the accepted viewpoint was in linguistics when hewrote this book.

Definitely worthwhile for people curious aboutlinguistics or about language as portrayed in sf (usually poorly, I'm sorryto say).

Very best way for nonlinguists to approach linguistics.
Anyone who wants a readable introduction to the subject of contemporary linguistic science should read this book instead of tackling the technical literature. The explanations of linguistics terms and concepts and methods are clear, and the use of science fiction as the source for illustrations and examples makes the material a great read. If I were teaching introductory linguistics today, I'd move heaven and earth to find copies of this book for my students ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

No! No! No!
I couldn't wait to receive this book and possibly have another reference for my high school students as they learned how to write a research paper.As soon as I opened the book I noticed obvious mistakes in format and even incorrect information for the Works Cited page.
If you need help with MLA documentation, you're better off to buy the original MLA Handbook. (It also includes APA format)Whatever you do . . . do not trust this book.

worth every penny
If you are like me lost in the full version of the MLA, this is for you...the answer is always a few pages away. ... Read more

Book Description
Topics include data types and operations, logical testing, looping, data structures, procedures, stream I/O, record I/O, storage classes and list processing, and file processing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

for beginners
This is a very good book for the beginners to gain a overall knowledge of PL/1 and start making small programs. ... Read more

Book Description
Reviews the fundamentals of the German language, including basic pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure.Other topics include cognates, numbers, idiomatic expressions, time, weather, and clothing, ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great German Grammar Guide!
This book is fabulous! It is easy to read and understand and so it really does give quick, accessible access to the important aspects of the language and how they are used. It is easy to use and understand with ample examples and all important aspects of German grammar. This book is great for studying, as a refresher, and even if someone wants to learn grammar from scratch. This book is worth its weight in gold. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Chasqui, published by Chasqui on November 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1433 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Modern Language Association Publication Prizes, 2003.(list of awards for studies in foreign languages, literatures)
Publication: Chasqui (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 2002
Publisher: Chasqui
Volume: 31Issue: 2Page: 167(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Very Good Introduction to the Gothic Language
This is an excellent introduction to the Gothic language for a beginner who does not have a thorough knowledge of Germanic linguistics. Divided into about 28 chapters, each chapter has a paragraph or so of Gothic reading (usually part of the Bible in Gothic), the applicable vocabulary, one or two new grammar topics, and a section on the history of the Gothic language, usually incorporating Germanic linguistics.

My only problems with this book are that the grammatical topics are not explained extremely clearly, so while this book is for a beginner, a background knowledge of the Indo-European/Germanic grammar structures would be very helpful. Also, there aren't really any practice exercises, except for being given verbs and nouns to conjugate/decline.

All in all, this is the best book out there for a beginner to the Gothic language.

Gets you reading Gothic right away
An excellent and quite painless way to learn Gothic.Its biggest virtue lies in its organization. It's not a textbook, but it's definitely not a dry, dusty grammar like Joseph Wright's books (which, btw, are very useful books; they're just not the cover-to-cover type). The best thing about the book's layout is: it gets you reading Gothic right away! From the beginning, each chapter has:

1. a reading in Gothic (from Scripture generally, since practically all extant texts are of Wulfila's translation of the Bible);
2. all the vocab you need to understand it;
3. a manageable-sized description of some piece of grammar (say, a couple of classes of nouns here, a few more the next chapter) with exercises to help you drill yourself on them; and
4. some other information.

These last sections range from an easy-to-read discussion about Indo-European to the place of Gothic within the Germanic language family, to a brief history of the Gothic tribes, to (later) discussions about phonetics and morphology that are more technical, not b/c of their writing style but simply b/c they're packed with information.These stem from the book's expressed purpose of presenting Gothic not only as easily as possible for the learner, but in the context of comparative Germanics and comparative linguistics generally.

If you're not into comparative linguistics, you can ignore these parts and still learn the language with relative speed. It's a very versatile book. A decent amount of effort on each chapter of this book will amaze you with how soon you can read Gothic texts. Highly recommended.

Great book on Gothic Tongue
The best book I've seen on Gothic. Layman friendly. These folks also sell Asatru rituals in West Goth and Old English.
This is the only book on Gothic I know of that is aimed at normal people and not PHds. This book belongs in the library of every student of the Old Ways.Wyatt Kaldenberg

One of the most exciting languages I've picked up
This is a highly praise worthy book. A good knowledge of Old English is helpful when tackling Gothic but not completely necessary. The book provides a good understanding of the history of the language as well as its place in the larger sphere of Indo-European linguistics.
Gothic is unique as the earliest attested Germanic language and the only attested East Germanic language.

The easiest introduction I have seen.
While most Gothic language introductions and grammars assume a very thorough knowledge of Germanic comparative linguistics, this one actually defines most of the technical terms it uses.Has a good explanation of the rules and even some exercises (no answers, though).Seems adequate for classroom or self- study.Texts in Gothic are used from the very beginning (some original, some from ancient sources).Above all, the way the rules are presented and the choice of readings make this book a FUN learning experience. ... Read more

Book Description
The third edition of the MLA's widely used Introduction toScholarship in Modern Languages and Literatures features sixteencompletely new essays by leading scholars. Designed to highlight relationsamong languages and forms of discourse, the volume is organized into threesections. "Understanding Language" provides a broad overview of the fieldof linguistics, with special attention to language acquisition and thesocial life of languages. "Forming Texts" offers tools for understandinghow speakers and writers shape language; it examines scholarship in thedistinct but interrelated fields of rhetoric, composition, and poetics."Reading Literature and Culture" continues the work of the first twosections by introducing major areas of critical study. The nine essays inthis section cover textual and historical scholarship; interpretation;comparative, cultural, and translation studies; and the interdisciplinarytopics of gender, sexuality, race, and migrations (among others). As inprevious volumes, an epilogue examines the role of the scholar incontemporary society.

Each essay discusses the significance, underlying assumptions, and limitsof an important field of inquiry; traces the historical development of itssubject; introduces key terms; outlines modes of research now beingpursued; postulates future developments; and provides a list of suggestionsfor further reading. This book will interest any member of the scholarlycommunity seeking a review of recent scholarship, while it provides anindispensable resource for undergraduate and graduate students of modernlanguages and literatures.

Contributors

David Bartholomae, Charles Bernstein, Heidi Byrnes, Anne Donadey, JeanFranco, Susan Stanford Friedman, Catherine Gallagher, J. Michael Holquist,Paul J. Hopper, Susan C. Jarratt, Françoise Lionnet, Leah S. Marcus,Jerome McGann, Bruce Robbins, Doris Sommer, Lawrence Venuti, Kenneth W.Warren ... Read more

Product Description
contains articles on creative collaboration, job finding, and reports from the field. ... Read more