Product Description
"Understanding Language" is an introduction to linguistics aimed at non-major undergraduate students who are new to the subject. The book is comprehensive in its coverage of the key areas of linguistics, yet explains these in an easy to understand, jargon-free way. Pictures, jokes, diagrams, tables and suggestions for further reading make this an accessible, student-friendly guide which should enable students to navigate this often complicated area of study. Topics covered include language acquisition; speech sounds; the make-up of words; grammar; meaning; communication; the history of English; language variation and change. This is an essential introduction for students who are taking linguistics at university, whether as their core subject of study, as a non-major or as a bridge between school and undergraduate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A hopeless mess.
Linguistics may be the most difficult of all fundamental disciplines.After a fifteen-year hiatus (I took a course in general linguistics at university and enjoyed the challenge of it), I wanted to turn my attention back to language studies, and thought a good place to start would be an up-to-date general survey.This book had a reasonable sounding editorial review and was about the right length for an introduction to a non-specialist.

However, the essential topics at the heart of general lingustics - phonics, phonemes, morphology, syntax and semantics - are only given a scant third of the text.The most interesting and challenging material is heavily watered down.Worse, key terms are never plainly defined.This is becoming distressingly common for contemporary survey texts - the most important and difficult material is stripped down and smoothed over, leaving no handhold for the inspired reader to climb to the next level.The halfhearted attempts to provide context leave any thoughtful reader either no more enlightened or without any really useful way to organize the material presented.This is combined with a full half of the book being dedicated to essentially empty discussions of material (such as the relationship of animal communication to human language) that does not seem to fit properly into the survey of linguistics, nor aid in understanding the core material.

Winkler's clearly a thoughtful person, with a great deal to say about language.The issue is, she can't decide if she wants to write a survey of the basic and intricate building blocks of the study of language, or if she wants to present a survey of language theory and development.My (admittedly groundless) suspicion is that the publisher demanded a book that could be used by arguably every basic linguistics instructor at every university in the English-speaking world.The result, unfortunately, seems of little use to anyone.

Straightforward and interesting (as much as a linguistics book can be...)
I read this book to prepare for the California English CSET and found it very helpful.

4 Stars:
- Very straightforward; no ramblings or lengthy examples
- Doesn't assume prior knowledge, therefore fully explaining all terms and concepts
- Pop culture references and examples are interesting and make the content more accessible
- Covers a lot of material; I feel like I have a decent grip on basic linguistics now

Minus a Star:
- The sections on grammar trees became a little tedious and slightly difficult to understand at parts.
- It's about linguistics; over 200 pages about words and language. While Elizabeth Grace Winkler does a good job on making the information as stimulating as possible it is still a book on linguistics.

Great study tool!
... Read more

Product Description
This collection of original essays approaches second language acquisition from a linguistic rather than a sociological, psychological, or purely pedagogical perspective. A wide range of viewpoints and approaches is represented; however, all authors agree on the fundamental importance of linguistic theory in the study of second language acquisition. Few works have explored in depth how a second language is acquired and what the second language learner must do mentally to achieve proficiency in another language. The essays in this book provide an incisive analysis of these questions. For greater accessibility, the chapters are arranged topically from those covering the broad area of theories of acquisition to those focusing specifically on syntax, semantics, pragmatics, lexicon, and phonology in another language. ... Read more

Product Description
Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, AN INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE, Ninth Edition, is appropriate for a variety of fields--including education, languages, psychology, anthropology, English, and teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)--at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. This completely updated edition retains the clear descriptions, humor, and seamless pedagogy that have made the text a perennial best-seller, while adding new information and exercises that render each topic fresh, engaging, and current. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

appallingly overpriced
It's excellent, definitive, engaging, and all that -- but, speaking as a professor who needs to assign a textbook for a 10 week course in linguistics, how can I justify this kind of expense for my students?A paperback - over $100??Come on people, get reasonable, and it will help this great book truly compete with lesser, more affordable titles!

Fast delivery
I am very pleased with the delivery and condition of this book. The book arrived sooner than expected. Thanks sooo much!!!

Great Book on the Subject of Linguistics
"An introduction to Language" is a great book. As professional speaker it is of the utmost importance that I understand how to create compelling speeches that resonate with an audience. "Language" is a crucial text for anyone interested in improving his or her understanding over the linguistic nature of speech. This is a very deep book, so buckle up and enjoy. - Edward T. Lyles

Make sure to get the right edition
I am wading my way through this book for an up-coming on-line class, only to discover that I now need the new edition.It seems to me that they come out with a new edition every year, and of course professors in order to receive their kick backs from the publishing company, make you buy the new edition. (Hey professors, you know those free tickets to Disneyland you just got from the publishing company for switching editions, those tickets might not cost you anything, but they are going to cost me. Thanks a lot cabron!) The differences between this edition and the old one (from what I can tell) are not much, but the university I am receiving an on-line degree from is very particular about details and having little differences in the new edition can make a big difference in my test score.I find the information presentation fine, but difficult to grasp at times.For example, I find their on-line quizzes very easy because they seem only to skim the surface of the material. I also know that I will be expected to know much more detailed information for my class.Basically like many students, I am tired of text book companies coming out with so many editions and professors expecting us always to buy new books, and thus not be able to sell back old books.If you can't get it right the tenth time, well that should say something about the text!

Cover ripped off
This was just a text book for a linguistic class. I expected it to be the right one for my course, indeed it turns out to be. However the cover was missing, but I got a 20% discount from the seller; so it was not bad at all. I received $18.75 refund for the inconvenience... ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
This accessible introduction to the linguistic structure of Portuguese looks at its social and historical background. In addition to covering the central topics of syntax, phonology, morphology, semantics and pragmatics, it explores the development of the language, the spread of Portuguese in the world, and sociolinguistic issues such as dialect variation and language planning. Keeping linguistic theory to a minimum, the book focuses on presenting linguistic facts within a useful global survey of the language and its issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This book is full of incorrect information
Somehow I have the feeling that author tries too hard to find ''average'' or ''transatlantic'' Portuguese usage in which differences between Continental and SouthernAmerican usage are minimized...But, by doing so, you get a distorted idea of both Continental and Brazilian Portuguese.
The only chapter worth reading is the one on Brazilian diglossia.

An extremely accessible, readable, lucid introduction to both applied linguistics and the Portuguese language
I wish I had found this sooner. It would have been a useful resource for my graduate students in applied linguistics.The focus we chose in our seminar, of preparing ESL materials for Brasilian students and visitors to the U.S. is the "inverse" of the the author's attempt to provide a thorough linguistics-based orientation for English-speakers learning Portuguese. Nevertheless, valuable comparisons can be found throughout this very amenable introduction to linguistics for ESL or EFL teachers who are English-speakers with limited to no knowledge of Portuguese who are attempting to anticipate useful comparisons or as I have decided to call them to avoid the pejorative impression given by talking about "contrasts/conflicts"---"opportunities for clarification".

As possible areas of need for clarification are identified through error analysis of the learners' "interlanguage", this thorough contrastive study provides the vocabulary and information needed to be able to provide guidance to English speakers learning Portuguese, and with some further inference and experience to support reversing the direction of the analysis, to assist Portuguese speakers who are further refining their command of English as a Foreign or Second Language.

I do not dispute the previous reviewer's concerns about inaccuracies in a few details regarding differences in European and Brasilian Portuguese, as I certainly lack any credentials to judge that. I did notice a few minor typographical/copy-editing errors of the sort that seem to plague everything that has been published in the last twenty years, but that hardly inclines me to blame the author, who probably had little or no opportunity to review every page and line of the final copy.

Nevertheless, after spending "time and treasure" trudging through a number of other sources, none of which were accessible to novice students of applied linguistics, few of which were readable for those who like to read with their eyes open, and none of which could be described as "lucid", much less useful for practical purposes...I certainly cannot find justification for rating this as less than a 5-star career achievement for the author and a positive delight for me as a reader and as a lecturer seeking useful examples of applied linguistics which fulfill some of the promise of that approach, with few of the defects of other writers who lack the ability to select and relate the pertinent aspects of a field of study which has evolved in a series of wild gyrations between intriguing theories and practical misuses.

Thank you, Professor Azevedo, you "made my day"!

It could be better
This book contains a good deal of relevant information, but its impressive linguistic jargon may distract from the book's defects.

A rather irritating feature is that a Latin language like Portuguese is analyzed from an Anglophone angle. Where it does not fit, it is 'wrong', as particularly evident in the distorted treatment given to the 'se indeterminado'.

Claimed contrasts between Brazilian and European Portuguese are erratic and full of incorrect statements. The expression 'a gente' appears in this book as a Brazilian Portuguese vulgar alternative to the 1st person plural, overlooking the fact that it is equally and widely used in Portugal. At the most elementary level, this book has yet to learn that the European Portuguese for bathroom is not 'casa de banhos' but 'casa de banho'.

I was also disappointed with the pages on forms of address. Inaccuracies are everywhere, e.g., using 'tu' for maids in Portugal would not be an expression of solidarity as the book tells you but a way of talking down to them.

This takes me to something else I find rather irritating. In the bibliography at the end of the book plenty of minor works are included but some key works are missing. Unfortunate lapse!

In the chapter on forms of address the book states that a study has not been carried out yet on this topic. What about the excellent analysis by Manuela Cook, Uma teoria das formas de tratatmento na lingua portuguesa, published by Georgetown University in Hispania in 1997. This book should know about it!

Summing up, there is some good information in this book, but it could be better. It could be much better. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive reference work provides an overview of the concepts, methodologies, and applications in computational linguistics and natural language processing (NLP).

• Features contributions by the top researchers in the field, reflecting the work that is driving the discipline forward
• Includes an introduction to the major theoretical issues in these fields, as well as the central engineering applications that the work has produced
• Presents the major developments in an accessible way, explaining the close connection between scientific understanding of the computational properties of natural language and the creation of effective language technologies
• Serves as an invaluable state-of-the-art reference source for computational linguists and software engineers developing NLP applications in industrial research and development labs of software companies

Product Description

Located at the intersection of sociolinguistics and Hip Hop Studies, this cutting-edge book moves around the world – spanning Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas and the European Union – to explore Hip Hop cultures, youth identities, the politics of language, and the simultaneous processes of globalization and localization. Focusing closely on language, these scholars of sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, cultural studies, and critical pedagogies offer linguistic insights to the growing scholarship on Hip Hop Culture, while reorienting their respective fields by paying closer attention to processes of globalization and localization.

The book engages complex processes such as transnationalism, (im)migration, cultural flow, and diaspora in an effort to expand current theoretical approaches to language choice and agency, speech style and stylization, codeswitching and language mixing, crossing and sociolinguistic variation, and language use and globalization. Moving throughout the Global Hip Hop Nation, through scenes as diverse as Hong Kong’s urban center, Germany’s Mannheim inner-city district of Weststadt, the Brazilian favelas, the streets of Lagos and Dar es Salaam, and the hoods of the San Francisco Bay Area, this global intellectual cipha breaks new ground in the ethnographic study of language and popular culture.

Product Description
This is a new introduction to the study of the relation between gender and language use, written by two of the leading experts in the field.It covers the main topics, beginning with a clear discussion of gender and of the resources that the linguistic system offers for the construction of social meaning.The body of the book offers unprecedented breadth and depth in its coverage of the interaction between language and social life.It is the ideal textbook for students in language and gender courses in several disciplines, including linguistics, gender studies, women's studies, sociology, and anthropology. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (32)

Fascinating And Delightful
If you've ever wondered how languages develop and change, why every language seems in its own time to have deteriorated from previous elegance and greatness, how abstract concepts come to be expressed with the simplest of thing-words--well if you've ever wondered about any of these things, you will love this book.

In the most entertaining way, author Guy Deutscher shows how language is continually created, destroyed and re-created by the same simple mechanisms. Yes, language is mankind's greatest invention, but it was never invented. Author Deutscher packs a tremendous amount of technical linguistic information, theory, and history into this volume, and makes it, mostly, quite understandable. More information is packed into a series of appendixes, which, this reviewer admits, he didn't read (at least, not yet).

If the book has any flaw, it would be wordiness--long, rambling sentences that are sometimes a little hard to wade through. The author tries to maintain a cheerful, conversational tone, and he sometimes uses ten words where three would have done nicely. But hey,it's still a great book for the amateur linguist. I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

Fascinating book
The book provides a fascinating description on the birth and history of human languages. On top of the bare facts, the writer's remarkable teaching and story telling talents capture the reader. Anecdotes and facts are combined perfectly and the book is easily readable without compromising intelligence.
It left me hungry for many other linguistics books, hoping they would stand up to this level of interest.

An excellent book showing how languages evolve over time
Before reading this book I naively thought that language changed with new technical words and borrowings from foreign languages.
Quite wrong. Deutscher shows that it has been undergoing fast evolution in its basic elements from the earliest times, and he traces the changes using written texts from 5000 year old Sumerian cuneiform to the present day.
Evolution involves destruction and differential survival with the constant creation of new words. He shows convincingly how people have always looked for the easiest (most lazy) way to speak, giving a language of ever shorter words. Fortunately language is saved by a counterbalancing "word inflation" involving the stringing together of separate words to give more emphasis. He gives a good example of the erosion / inflation process with the French for "today": LATIN... hoc die > hodie > hui > OLD FRENCH... au jour d'hui MODERN FRENCH... aujourd'hui > aujour d'aujourd'hui.
It's also interesting that traditional and newer expressions co-exist (compete?) until one or the other fades out, eg. "I haven't got anything" vs "I haven't got nothing" or the way a simple idea like the "s" for plural in English eg. duck - ducks, can overwhelm earlier variants.
The book isn't an easy read but it's changed the way I look at language.

Fascinating and Intelligent
Dr. Deutscher has done a scholarly, thorough discussion on the roots of language, but I believe he started too late in time. I'm of the persuasion that language involves more than the spoken word. I find body language (which proponents argue communicate half of what we speak), facial expressions (think FACS, FBI, microexpressions), movement to be as telling of a person's intentions as words. Sometimes more so. Yet, he argues language was born when we could prove it was born--"...for how can anyone presume to know what went on in prehistoric times without indulging in make-believe?" "...impressive range of theories circulating for how the first words emerged: from shouts and calls; from hand gestures and sign language; from the ability to imitate...The point is that as long as there is no evidence, all these scenarios remain 'just so' stories." Or deductive reasoning. Something the modern brain excels at. This despite the fact that his cover includes the popular ape-man image.

Still, he adds humor and a highly intelligent discussion I thoroughly enjoyed.

A book of stunning erudition
I rarely give 5 stars, but occasionally I encounter a book of such stunning erudition that the commendation is deserved. The Unfolding of Language by Guy Deutscher is one of those rare books that have the potential to open up a vast new field for mental exploration, or if the topic is already somewhat familiar, to completely change how you look at it. I would be the first to admit that I am new to linguistics and so everything here could already be well known to interested readers. That said, few books on advanced topics that are meant for general readers are so well written, comprehensive and thought provoking. This book surely stands apart.

Why do some languages have such complicated case structures and verb conjugations? Why are some so irregular with so many exceptions to every rule? Why do English and Turkish arrange words in the opposite sequence in sentences? Why do Hebrew and Arabic have such a complex and remarkable system of verbs? Why do Indians often say that Sanskrit is the most precise of all languages? And finally, the fundamental question, how did language evolve?

Deutscher tackles all these issues directly and draws on examples from languages as diverse as Tamil and Jemez. He explores the common origin of many currently very different languages in Proto-Indo-European. He compares language to an architectural achievement that has produced complex and magnificent structures capable of expressing every nuance of thought. Reading the book I could not help but think that language is more like life itself, with new species constantly arising, evolving and often declining. In Deutscher's metaphor processes of erosion and addition constantly hone language to the needs of each generation of speakers.

Most of us recognize that sculpture, music, painting, not to mention science, have all become progressively more advanced over the millennia, apart from an occasional setback such as after the fall of the Greco-Roman world. Counter-intuitively, the opposite seems to have happened with language. Though our knowledge of the world is much more complex, our modern languages actually are simpler than the recorded languages of the ancient world like Latin, Ancient Greek, Sanskrit and even Gothic, as students of these languages know. Astonishingly, the few written records from the dawn of history 5000 years ago reveal fully developed languages with almost the full set of complex features of modern languages. In today's world primitive societies do not have simpler languages than industrialized societies. On the contrary, the opposite is likely to be true. These are some of the fascinating topics discussed in the book.

Deutscher poses some hard questions when he sets out to explain how language developed, why old languages seem so much more complicated and how languages change over time. All these issues are addressed in a straightforward and organized fashion with enlightening, illustrative examples. This dazzling book was a joy to read. ... Read more

Product Description
This best-selling dictionary is now in its 4rd edition.Specifically written for students of language teaching and applied linguistics, it has become an indispensible resource for those engaged in courses in TEFL, TESOL, applied linguistics and introductory courses in general linguistics. Fully revised, this new edition includes over 350 new entries.Previous definitions have been revised or replaced in order to make this the most up-to-date and comprehensive dictionary available. Providing straightforward and accessible explanations of difficult terms and ideas in applied linguistics, this dictionary offers:* Nearly 3000 detailed entries, from subject areas such as teaching methodology, curriculum development, sociolinguistics, syntax and phonetics.* Clear and accurate definitions which assume no prior knowledge of the subject matter * helpful diagrams and tables * cross references throughout, linking related subject areas for ease of reference, and helping to broaden students' knowledge The Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics is the definitive resource for students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Useful Reference Work
For the teacher looking to get a bit more into the theoretical side of language teaching and linguistics, this is an indispensible book. It covers a lot the jargon and terminology that go with the territory and gives a good, pithy overview of most things from syllabus design to grammar.

I have found it useful primarily to get my terminology right for assignments, but it is also helps with dealing with other books that have unexplained, but really specialist terminology. For this reason alone, it is really worth the paltry sum needed to get it.

The book is into its third edition now, (to which this review refers), and should be an ongoing classic in the field. I truly recommend this book to you.

Good Solid Specialist Dictionary
The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics provides a concise place where the language teacher or language researcher can find definitions of terms they don't remember in their field ofspecialization.It gives not only lengthy contextualized definitions butalso provides references for those who want to look deeper into a topic. The dictionary also provides cross references to other relevantdefinitions.

The only thing that might be considered in revision isputting the words into categories under specialization as a possibleappendix (i.e. sociolinguistics, language testing, psycholinguistics). This might help and entice the reader to look at the dictionary as alearning tool as well as a reference tool.This would provide anadditional way to use the dictionary in order to learn specific vocabularyfor a specialization under the umbrella of applied linguistics or languageteaching. ... Read more

Product Description
David Crystal's informative account of the rise of English as a global language explores the history, current status and potential of English as the international language of communication. This new edition of his classic work includes additional sections on the future of English as a world language, English on the Internet, and the possibility of an English "family" of languages. Footnotes, new tables, and a comprehensive bibliography reflect the expanded scope of the revised edition.An internationally renowned scholar in the field of language and linguistics, David Crystal received an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his services to the English language.He is the author of several books with Cambridge, including Language and the Internet (2001), Language Death (2000), English as a Global Language (1997), Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (1997), and Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (1995) as well as Words on Words (University of Chicago, 2000).First edition Hb (1997): 0-521-59247-XFirst edition Pb (1998): 0-521-62994-2 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Speakers of the World, Unite!
In Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, space travelers can communicate with beings from other planets by inserting a Babel fish in their ear. The Babel fish takes in what is spoken and modifies the brain activity of the user to effect a translation. Universal translators are standard equipment in science fiction involving space travel, since it is reasonable to assume that extraterrestrials will not speak English or any other earthly language. Indeed, given that there are over six thousand mutually unintelligible languages here on Earth, it seems that the technology is badly needed now. However, by the time the technology is available, there may no longer be any need for it. According to David Crystal in his book, English as a Global Language, everyone on Earth will soon speak English.

Currently English has the status of a lingua franca, a language that is used for international exchanges. Through history, different languages have served as linguae francae on a regional basis. In Europe, Latin served this role across the Roman Empire, and continued in this function for centuries after the fall of Rome because it was the language of the Catholic Church. In China, where dozens of mutually unintelligible dialects are spoken, Mandarin serves as the common language of government and intellectual exchange. And starting in the seventeenth century, French served as the international language of diplomacy until its fairly recent replacement by English.

The status of English as a lingua franca, however, is quickly transforming into that of a global language, one that nearly everyone in the world can speak. This is an unprecedented event, although there has been a trend over history toward linguistic consolidation as a result of political consolidation. The globalization of English was driven by a historical accident, namely that both world powers during the last two centuries spoke English. The language was first spread around the globe in the nineteenth century by the growing British Empire. As British political power waned at the turn of the last century, American influence and prestige was on the ascendancy, further spreading the use of English.

The globalization of English is further driven by the growing global economy. More and more people around the world are getting involved in the global marketplace of goods, jobs and ideas. But to participate in this marketplace, you need to speak English. And if it is not your native language, you need to learn it, or you will be left behind. Although there are more native speakers of Mandarin Chinese than there are of English, there are more people who speak English as a second language than any other language in the world. In fact, there are more people who speak English as a second language than as a first language. Combining first and second language users, we find that English is the world's most widely spoken language. Still, only one in four people know English, clearly indicating that English is not yet a true global language.

Crystal contemplates two possible futures for global English. In his utopia, he sees all people in the world speaking some sort of World Standard Spoken English when communicating internationally and their native language locally and at home. Crystal points out that even native English speakers would in a sense be bilingual because WSSE would be different from their native dialect. This view of universal bilingualism may seem odd to the monolingual Anglophone, but Crystal points out that the majority of the world's population is already at least bilingual. Thus, the multitude of languages in the world would remain vibrant while WSSE would serve as an auxiliary for international communication.

In Crystal's dystopia, on the other hand, he sees all people of the world as Anglophone monolinguals. In his companion book Language Death (2002, Cambridge University Press), he examines how and why languages die and deplores the increasing rate of language extinction. In the current book, he touches on this subject again. Crystal views the loss of linguistic diversity as analogous to the loss of biological diversity, with similar catastrophic consequences for the welfare of humanity. However, Crystal's reasoning is flawed and tainted with gushing romanticism for the polyglot throng.

Crystal's frustration with English's global linguistic dominance would be justified if the language were being pushed upon the world's population by some imperialistic force. But it is not. The globalization of English is a grass-roots movement. People want better lives for themselves and for their children, and they see the way to the good life is through participation in the global marketplace. Thus, they learn English and teach it to their children, often not caring whether the younger generation even learns the language of their ancestors. And they do this in spite of governmental attempts to preserve or resurrect heritage languages.

It is often suggested that a common world language would lead to world peace by reducing misunderstandings and miscommunications, but Crystal rightly points out the fallacy in that way of thinking. Throughout history, bloody wars have been fought by those who speak the same language, as for example the American Civil War, the breakup of Yugoslavia or the unrest in Northern Ireland today. However, there is a sense in which a common world language would increase the chances of world peace, and that is through the global marketplace. As the world becomes more interconnected and interdependent, warfare becomes a less profitable means of resolving political problems.

Crystal hopes for a future in which nation-states conduct their commerce in a common language while maintaining their national languages at home. But there is a bolder, brighter vision of the future--one in which the globe is unified economically, politically and linguistically. As members of a single community, there would be free movement of people, goods and ideas around the globe, facilitated by a single global language. That language would likely be a descendant of English, but with continued admixtures from many other languages.

There is no particular reason why English is better suited than others to serve as a global language, in spite of frequent claims of English linguistic superiority. The language mavens (to use Pinker's term) will often declare English syntax simpler or more logical and its vocabulary richer and more expressive than those of other languages, but neither is true. English is just an ordinary language with no advantage other than that it is the language of the current economic and political superpower in the world.

As the global economy develops, the number of English speakers will continue to increase. The development of some sort of World Standard Spoken English is virtually inevitable. It is also quite likely that the vast majority of the world's languages will die out because their speakers will no longer be interested in using them. Instead, they will be learning the global language so that they can claim their rightful place as citizens of the world.

International English vs. English
While this should not be the place to make such arguments, I think that the Norris review below is interesting, but misses the point.Historically, before the advent of "serious" democracy, one's national language was "defined" by the ruling classes.It was the primitive "be like Mike" idea.One wished to emulate their superiors (don't children mimic their elder siblings?) so langauge changed.One must remember that after the French came to England the language of the courts and of government was French; hence, if one wished to do any kind of business with the government, one needed to know French.

We live in a time where English has become the new global royal language, for lack of a better way of stating that.It may shift--if America is no longer the dominant culture monetarily or militarily, perhaps this will occur.The point is that like it or not, English is a global language.

Another good point is this:if an American moved to France, become a French citizen, etc., would the locals consider them "French?"Of course not; they are transplanted Americans.But if a Frenchmen moved to America, and did all the requisite things, no one would ask otherwise.He'd/She'd be an American.End of story.As racist as many foreigner's claim we are, I think America is a very accepting country.Much more so than many of those who claim we are not.Try moving to Saudi Arabia, for example, and claiming you're a national.Our language is hence much like our culture--accepting of many.

There are other sides to this issue
As I read this book, I had the impression that the author has never tried to use international versions of English for complex tasks like working with foreign business and technical partners. I work for a multinational corporation myself. We are discouraged from taking time to learn foreign languages because we are told that English is the official language of our company. Then we arrive at our overseas branches and discover that our counterparts can say hello, goodbye, and thank you to us, but little more. I think Crystal is overly optimistic about how much English people are really learning overseas.

He also dismisses the cultural chauvinism wrapped up in the belief that English is the perfect global language. Actually, Spanish grammar is much easier to learn, and is much easier for non-native speakers to pronounce.

English *is* an international language, but it is only an effective one in the most basic communication situations. A few years ago author Barbara Wallraff wrote an excellent article in the Atlantic Monthly entitled "What Global Language?" (Nov, 2001) which made the point that while international English may be useful for very simple purposes, more complex communication tasks will require something other than English.

Author Edward Trimnell (Why You Need a Foreign Language and How to Learn One ISBN: 0974833010) rips the international English argument to shreds by pointing out that a.) cooperation between peoples who don't speak English as a native language is increasing; and in these situations, it makes sense to use a language other than English, and b.) the hubbub about international English has made native English-speakers very complacent in recent years---such that we are now entirely dependent on the language skills of others.

Crystal's book is not without its merits, but it comes across as a sales pitch for international English. There is another side to this argument, and I would recommend reading Wallraff and Trimnell before making up your mind.

Crystal Does It Again
David Crystal's updated version of his 1997 book provides additional content and resources. I relied heavily upon his research and discourse to help me complete my master's thesis in international educational development.I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about the phenomenon of English as a Global Language.

The Spread of Global English
In this book, David Crystal presents the future of the English language.According to Crystal, non-native speakers of English outnumber native speakers of English, so it could be said that English has become global.Add to this the fact that English has become the de facto language of business, science, technology, and diplomacy, and it becomes apparent that English belongs to the world.Crystal argues that English will become more influenced by non-native speakers in the future, so we will have to rethink the idea of the "native speaker".As a world language, English doesn't belong to the native speakers in countries such as England and America, but to all who speak it.To speak a language gives you the right to use it as you will.

This is a very interesting book on the spread of world English.I really recommend it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

I wouldn't if I was in a rush.
I am a college student and ordered all of my texts books at about the same time. All of them came in a timely manner, accept this book. It has been over 4 weeks and I still have no clue where my book is, even though it is well past the delivery date I was given. Although the book was cheap it was not worth this hassle.

Great condition of the book! Great seller!
The bookarrived home quickly and it was in great condition (just minor pencil markings). I will buy from this seller again, no doubt about it.

Thank you!

Highly recommend
This is an excellent book for anyone studying linguistics. It is detailed and easy to read. I have bought a couple of previous editions and the changes are always up to date in the field. I would highly recommend.

Good buy
Thisdefinitely beats buying books from the textbook store. It was a great purchase, considering I'm a linguistics major and a book I'll probably always keep!

my first linguistic book
This is a awesome book to get a grasp of understanding languages and to start you off on a good foot if you are learning, or want to learn to be a linguist or teach english as a second laguage. If you are just wanting to see what languages and linguistics is all about, get this book. It goes over phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, and other areas of language.I recommend this book if this field of learning interests you. ... Read more

Product Description

There are approximately six thousand languages on Earth today, each a descendant of the tongue first spoken by Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago.While laying out how languages mix and mutate over time, linguistics professor John McWhorter reminds us of the variety within the species that speaks them, and argues that, contrary to popular perception, language is not immutable and hidebound, but a living, dynamic entity that adapts itself to an ever-changing human environment.

Full of humor and imaginative insight, The Power of Babel draws its illustrative examples from languages around the world, including pidgins, Creoles, and nonstandard dialects.

Customer Reviews (58)

Great book about linguistics
John McWhorter is a professor of linguistics at Berkeley, and in this book he tries to shed some light on his fascinating occupation, presenting some aspects of linguistics in a popular and very readable style. The main focus of the book is the evolution of language, which the author tries to parallel to biological evolution. Much of the book discusses how languages change by combining, splitting, simplification and so on, with many examples taken from a multitude of languages - some well known, and some most people have never heard of.

A fascinating topic in linguistics is pidgin and creole languages. Since there are relatively many examples of the formation of such languages in recent history (mainly after the beginning of the European expansion in the 15th century), the topic has been studied well, and the author dedicates many pages to it.

Another thing I found really interesting is the discussion of the relative complexities of languages. Modern languages (especially the European ones) are much simpler than many primitive languages. As the author says (and his examples powerfully demonstrate), some of the world' languages are so complicated that one has to wonder how anyone is able to speak them. One example is a native-American language spoken in the north-western part of the U.S.A. that's so convoluted that children learn to fully speak correctly it with all the nuances only at the age of 10. There are actually reasons for this being so, and they are presented in the book.

A very good read
Good book.

Some reviewers say it is lengthy and that it wonders a little.

Maybe, but the enthusiasm of the author more than makes up for it.

I have read many popularization books about linguistics, this is
probably one of the best written---if you are willing to forgive
the author for an occasional joke or two.

The only thing I would suggest the author is to make more clear
at the beginning what the book is exactly about. If you are not
fascinated by the nuts-and-bolts of the dynamics of language change, then this book
is probably not for you...

There's Babel in the Power of Babel
Thought this would be an interesting read but barely got past the introduction before consigning it to the recycle bin.

First of all, the author's comments on evolution and mutations have been overtaken by important new discoveries.There's much more involved than just mutations.Second, the author states several times as fact that there once existed a single language possessed by the humans who migrated out of Africa to populate the world.I don't question the migration but the idea that there once existed a single spoken language used by all living humans is absurd.This idea implies, and the author directly implies this idea since he states it several times, that a single mutation brought the human power of speech into existence.Although I'm not going to attempt to provide any proofs here, the development of human language must have been a progressive process taking unknown hundreds of thousands of years to reach its full powers as we know of it today.

I love it already.
I only started reading this book and I love it already. Prof. Mc Whorter takes complicated lingustic material and makes it easy to understand. I want to read all his books.

Unsuitable for interested amateurs
I've been reading books about language and linguistics for many years and have rarely been as disappointed by a book.

If you extract all McWhorter's own self-referential little comments about his childhood, stories about television shows and comic books, and "cute" footnotes (example: 6. "Hats off to the 'Simpsons' house composer...." 7. "I like that one too." 9. "Dino fans: Yes, I know....", to take just one chapter), there is scarcely any new or interesting information in his book.

Who is the book aimed at? On one hand, the overly colloquial style ("Make no mistake: I love written language deeply and enjoy few things more than composing prose on the page" !!) argues that it is aimed at a reader who knows nothing whatever about the subject and needs to be pulled in by things like analysis of a McDonald's ad in German.

On the other hand, the long, long, long sections about creoles and pidgins seem to be aimed at a reader who is already fascinated by that subject. Well, at any rate this book was NOT aimed at me-- an interested and educated amateur. ... Read more

Product Description
Forensic Linguistics is an introduction to the fascinating interface between language and the law.

• Provides an integrated and fully theorized understanding of language and law issues.
  
• Contains many helpful examples from genuine legal contexts and texts.
  
• Discusses linguistic sources of disadvantage before the law, particularly for ethnic minorities, children and abused women.

Product Description

A masterpiece of linguistics scholarship, at once erudite and entertaining, confronts the thorny question of how—and whether—culture shapes language and language, culture

Linguistics has long shied away from claiming any link between a language and the culture of its speakers: too much simplistic (even bigoted) chatter about the romance of Italian and the goose-stepping orderliness of German has made serious thinkers wary of the entire subject. But now, acclaimed linguist Guy Deutscher has dared to reopen the issue. Can culture influence language—and vice versa? Can different languages lead their speakers to different thoughts? Could our experience of the world depend on whether our language has a word for "blue"?

Challenging the consensus that the fundaments of language are hard-wired in our genes and thus universal, Deutscher argues that the answer to all these questions is—yes. In thrilling fashion, he takes us from Homer to Darwin, from Yale to the Amazon, from how to name the rainbow to why Russian water—a "she"—becomes a "he" once you dip a tea bag into her, demonstrating that language does in fact reflect culture in ways that are anything but trivial. Audacious, delightful, and field-changing, Through the Language Glass is a classic of intellectual discovery.

Customer Reviews (5)

Interesting thesis, fun to read
The author supports his thesis quite well with very interesting facts.I think that this book will be interesting and fun to read for those within the linguistics and anthropology communities or those who have a passing curiosity in the oddities and similarities between cultures and languages.I will admit that the book seemed to lack a "knock-out punch".Perhaps the author will follow up in another book.Still, this is worth a read for all.

Should be titled "Language and COLOR"
As a native Russian speaker, I always felt different from Americans. I've always wondered if the language i was brought up with altered my thinking in ways Americans weren't. I was hoping to get the answer in this book and I was really disappointed.

The book started out strong, showing how 3 different languages defined "culture" in different ways (French being most romantic and German being most brutal). But then once I started reading the book, it never really delved deeply into the subject of how language affects thought or behavior. The intro and reviews (it was recommended on New York Times) made it sound like a book about language affecting thought. IT wasn't.

I liked Deutchers' writing style. He was easy to read and funny. I liked his use of many examples, and then defining the examples to make it REALLY easy to understand. However, he NEVER really defined how A Language makes ONE society's thought be different from another's. He talked a little bit how a language FORCES one to pay attention and speak in a specific way. I really loved his example of how some cultures only have N S E W directions instead of front, back, left right. I understand what he said. I liked his analysis on "how can all language be equally complex? they cant." But i wish there were more examples like that.

More than half of the book (waaay too much ) was devoted to how different societies define colors. For example, how many cultures only have one word for green and blue. Maybe it's just that many studies haven't been done onlanguage and culture. I don't know. Then he devoted a TINY section of the book to sex of objects, but not enough.

This book should have been titled "Culture and Color." I would have been less let down if he JUST focused on color (he did so for more than half the book) and talk about other stuff (sex of objects, directions) in another book. "Through the Language Glass" was interesting, and well researched, but not what the book intro claimed to be about.

Four stars for content; minus one for Kindle deficiencies
The first foreign language I learned to complete fluency was German - after five years of high school German I spent a year at a German boys' boarding school. At the end of that year I was completely fluent, but noticed an odd phenomenon, that I felt like a slightly different person when I spoke German than when speaking English. Since then I've also learned Spanish to a high degree of fluency, and the same observation holds. In both cases, the main difference that I perceive has to do with humor, and the way the language I'm speaking affects my sense of humor. So I've always been interested in the extent to which language affects thought. The notion that it does is what linguists refer to as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Belief in Sapir-Whorf reached its peak in the first half of the 20th century, but since then the notion that language affects cognition has been discredited by almost all mainstream linguists.

In "Through the Language Glass" Guy Deutscher mounts a careful, very limited defence of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. He considers three major areas - the link between language and color perception, how different languages deal with spatial orientation, and the phenomenon of differences in noun genders across different languages. His examination of the link between language and color perception is extensive and thought-provoking - he traces the development of linguistic theory on color perception from British prime minister Gladstone's commentary on the relative paucity of color terms in Homer's work, through the Berlin-Kay model (stating essentially that languages all tend to split up the color spectrum in similar ways) through very recent experiments suggesting that the existence of a particular color distinction in a language (e.g. the existence of separate terms in Russian for light and dark blue) affects the brain's ability to perceive that distinction. Deutscher's account of the evolution of linguistic theory about color perception is a tour de force of scientific writing for a general audience - it is both crystal clear and a pleasure to read.

Two factors contributed to my eventual disappointment with this book. The first is that, even after Deutscher's careful, eloquent, persuasive analysis, one's final reaction has to be a regretful "So what?" In the end, it all seems to amount to little of practical importance.

The second disappointment pertained only to the experience of reading this book on an Amazon Kindle. Reference is made throughout to a "color insert" which evidently contained several color wheels as well as up to a dozen color illustrations. This feature was completely absent from the Kindle edition, which had a severe adverse effect on the overall experience of reading this book. Obviously, this point is relevant only if you are contemplating reading the Kindle version - DON'T!

If it hadn't been for the lack of availability of key illustrations on the Kindle, I would have given the book 4 stars, but I feel obliged to deduct one because of the Kindle-related deficiencies.

Solid follow-up
How much does our culture determine, or liberate, our language's ability to express what we see? In his first book, "The Unfolding of Language," Deutschermentioned how colors evolved in verbal expression from a primitive stage. Words entered language first for a binary black-white, later adding red, then yellow-green, and finally blue. But, he skimmed past this factoid as he rushed on to other theoretical matters. He returns to make this subject the heart of this sequel.

If language mirrors our mind, what is reflected? Is it human nature or cultural conventions? Color served, since the era of Darwin aroused clumsy curiosity whether linguistic responses might be innate, as a test case. Did color come about as the brain developed and became more civilized? Victorians wondered if languages developed by natural selection; anthropologists suggested language was filtered through culture. Scholars began to study diverse indigenous tongues that often differed dramatically from Indo-European languages.

Deutscher devotes the first hundred pages to explaining their discoveries of how colors in newly discovered languages were understood by perceptions and then vocabularies which revealed contrasts with the West. While these nineteenth-century models crudely linking Darwin to linguistics have been discarded, these inquiries opened Western ears to a global diversity of verbal and mental expression. Deutscher explains how our mother tongue "can affect how we think and how we perceive the world." He does not argue that language determines how we think. This distinction is crucial.

For, he rejects the "linguistic relativity" of the discredited Sapir-Whorf theory which claimed that language locks its speakers into a cognitive prison by which they must perceive, say, time differently. The Hopi may say "on the fifth day" rather than "five days," but mainstream scholars deny that this proves that the Hopi conceive time's accumulation of "unvarying repetition" differently than we do with our spatial models. This quickly turns theoretical, as the extended analyses of color vocabulary and then spatial orientation by geographic rather than egocentrical markers make the bulk of this text.

I felt that Deutscher's in-depth example of the Guugu Yimithirr aboriginal language--which in its isolated heyday indicated directions according to compass points rather than personal coordinates--appeared intriguing but less compelling than he intended. For, the speakers in both cases still orient themselves by their own internal placement. We may say a chair is to our left; they may say it is to the southwest, but we both are setting ourselves in relation to it. Deutscher appears to gloss this over.

He shows how languages may lack green-blue distinctions that in our native tongue appear as if natural to us. He suggests how taste can be an analogy: what if "wild strawberries" might be our only term for the whole range of new fruits a stranger brought us from a faraway land of berry extravagance? All we could do is compare each new varietal to more or less the one berry we had words to describe. By the scholar from Berry-Land we would be pitied as primitives, unable to comprehend the obvious range of fruit flavors.

Similarly, some cultures have not paid much attention to color spectrums. They did not feel the need to, as discernment may not have been necessary. This surmise began when William Gladstone, after studying Homer, surmised that artificial dye in classical Greece might have stimulated the color perceptions of ancient peoples. Before dyes were manufactured for shades of blue, the Greeks may not have been used to discern a range of hues in their depths (which appear instantly blue to us, or green due to our different cultural and linguistic habits) as other than a "wine-looking" or "wine-dark sea."

Whether Australian or Mediterranean, people tend to use the words they need for their world. If blue existed in sky or sea, it may not have been necessary to differentiate it. If it turned into an imported dye altering fashion or determining status, it then mattered to find a term for blue. (I invent this elaboration; "The cultural significance of blue," Deutscher admits as an aside, "is very limited." Such points deserved more analysis, considering that much of this book concerns color's linguistic applications.)

Yellow and green emerge later for many native cultures because agriculture and vegetation brought a greater awareness (ripe or unripe?) involved in sustenance. Black and white, day and night tend to come first for they are the most obvious contrasts. Red follows, as blood marks our encounters with each other and the natural world in which we compete and struggle.

The second section shifts to the impact of our mother tongue on how we think. It may influence our reactions without determining them: this qualification segues into the Boas-Jakobson alternative to Sapir-Whorf's model. Before this, Deutscher in one of his most compelling chapters compresses material that I thought more compelling than much of the previous hundred-plus pages on color.

This extends the essence of The Unfolding of Language (see my Oct 2007 review), even if he barely refers to his earlier book. How languages begin complex and then grow simpler--and then perhaps more complex again--appears to contradict what we might expect. Small societies rely on markers. Like the aborigines with their compass internalized in their language and their bodies in one place with the same solar and meteorological coordinates for thousands of years, people settled as relatives in one place speak by shorthand. As intimates, "she," "them," "here" and "over there" may be all that is needed to express what to a stranger would require precise yet wordier explanations of kinship, locale, or quirk.

When strangers arrive (perhaps traders of blue dye), they may speak a different accent or dialect. This forces locals to simplify words to communicate clearly. Comprehension between unfamiliar speakers of different languages may force a drastically minimal, almost childlike, manner of speech. More terms may be needed, such as "aquamarine" or "indigo," and these then enrich the local language. Concision, simplicity, and literacy often slow a language down in word forms and on paper. This is one reason why the spelling of English may preserve archaic sounds we no longer say, or why the gender distinctions of Romance languages persist in illogical forms, lovingly detailed in the best chapter, "Sex and Syntax."

The rest of the narrative lacks this intriguing scenario, however dimly sketched. But, Deutscher dutifully sums up current research in a manner that we non-linguists can appreciate. He shows, as in the gender situation, how German's feminine article for such a word as a bridge may influence somewhat the response, even in English, of traits attributed by a German speaker to "die Brücke" vs. a Spanish speaker's masculine "el puente". "German speakers tended to describe bridges as beautiful, elegant, fragile, peaceful, pretty, and slender; Spanish speakers as big, dangerous, long, strong, sturdy, towering." While Deutscher remains cautious about interpreting such findings, he does hint that "manly or womanly associations of inanimate objects are strong enough in the minds of Spanish and German speakers to affect their ability to commit information to memory."

Both of this author's books share this professor's lively anecdotes, his engaging personality, and his ability to summarize linguistic debates efficiently. He lets the rest of us, outside the academy, listen in on arcane arguments. Yet, as part of academia, Deutscher may let his love for theoretical excursion weaken the pace of his presentations.

He wraps up his latest work, after more color discussion and more cognitive experiments, with a summary of how culture conventions of our society can be influenced by language. We do not live in what from Nietzsche has been memorably mistranslated as a "prison-house of language." But, we do tend to find patterns and pursue expressions that fit with our habitual sights, sounds, and markers.

Deutscher closes by begging forgiveness from future scholars, for we are on the verge of brain discoveries about language processing even as thousands of languages die out. These may offer, as Guugu Yimithirr, fantastic alternatives we thinkers used to English might never have conceived. Our scientific progress accelerates, but we also need linguistic alternatives to our monocultural, globalizing mindset. None of us can step aside and find a perfect language to judge all the others by. Maybe we've built, in a determination to make everyone speak our native tongue, our own prison-house after all?

Through Wine-Tinted Glasses
In some cultures, there is a single word that denotes both blue and green. The people in these cultures can see the difference between the colors as well as anyone else, but they don't consider blue and green different colors, just different shades of the same color. In Russian, there is a word for dark blue and another word for sky blue. We who did not grow up speaking Russian do not confuse dark blue and light blue any more than Russians do, even if we call them both "blue."

How a language deals with colors is just one of the ways that linguist Guy Deutscher examines the interplay between language and thought. For many years, it was THE controversy in linguistic circles. But even if the phrases "Sapir-Whorf" and "Chomskian grammar" do not make you see red or any other color, you will find Deutscher's investigations into how language affects thought and vice versa, fascinating and enlightening.

He discusses why, in the Iliad, Homer described both the sea and oxen as being "wine-colored." He describes a society in which the people use points of the compass to describe locations rather than "left" and "right," and how that affects their sense of place.

Through the Language Glass had me seriously questioning what I thought I knew about language. Deutscher challenges conventional linguistic theories and seems to have a great time doing it. Through the Language Glass is the kind of book that you want to share with everyone and find out what they think about it, too. Is Deutscher crazy? Is he brilliant? Both, probably.

Also recommended -- When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World's Languages and the Erosion of Human Knowledge by K. David Harrison, and Harrison's documentary, The Linguists. ... Read more

Product Description
Terence Odlin reconsiders a question that many language teachers and educational researchers have addressed: how much influence can a learner's native language have in making the acquisition of a new language easy or difficult? Transfer has long been a controversial issue, but many recent studies support the view that cross-linguistic influences can have an important impact on second language acquisition. Odlin analyzes and interprets research showing many ways in which similarities and differences between languages can influence the acquisition of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.In addition he provides a detailed look at work on other areas important for the study of transfer including discourse, individual variation, and sociolinguistic factors. Language teachers, applied linguists, and educational researchers will find this volume highly accessible and extremely valuable to their work. ... Read more

Product Description
A Linguistic History of Arabic presents a reconstruction of proto-Arabic by the methods of historical-comparative linguistics. It challenges the traditional conceptualization of an old, Classical language evolving into the contemporary Neo-Arabic dialects. Professor Owens combines established comparative linguistic methodology with a careful reading of the classical Arabic sources, such as the grammatical and exegetical traditions. He arrives at a richer and more complex picture of early Arabic language history than is current today and in doing so establishes the basis for a comprehensive, linguistically-based understanding of the history of Arabic. The arguments are set out in a concise, case by case basis, making it accessible to students and scholars of Arabic and Islamic culture, as well as to those studying Arabic and historical linguists. ... Read more

Product Description
In spite of the rapid growth of interest in the computer analysis of language, this book is one of the first to provide an integrated introduction to the field. Inevitably, when many different approaches are still being considered, a straightforward work of synthesis would be neither possible nor practicable. Nevertheless, Ralph Grishman provides a valuable survey of various approaches to the problems of syntax analysis, semantic analysis, text analysis and natural language generation, while considering in greater detail those that seem to him most productive. The book is written for readers with some background in computer science and finite mathematics, but advanced knowledge of programming languages or compilers is not necessary and nor is a background in linguistics. The exposition is always clear and students will find the exercises and extensive bibliography supporting the text particularly helpful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Computational Linguistics
The fields of Computer Science and Mathematics allow us to explore the capabilities of the human brain. Part of this exploration includes the understanding of spoken languages processing and the automatic interpretation of these via computational machines.This book gives a solid foundation of the field and allows new researchers to put into perspective all new publications related to compilers design materials. I found a number of confusing concepts in new publications so I needed to buy this book to clear in my mind other author's ideas.

This is a book that I strongly recommend to anyone who is serious about languages, compilers, interpreters, etc.

Stavros Vlachoyannis
CS Graduate Student
Polytechnic University

A nice and concise introduction to rule-based NLP
Grishman offers a readable account of the issues faced by Natural Language Processing research.The discussion is bolstered by examples from some of the more interesting NLP systems.These examples are shallow, permitting alight read and keeping the focus of the book on linguistic issues.Themajority of the book covers standard syntactic and semantic parsingtechniques, while discourse analysis, anaphora resolution and textgeneration receive only a quick treatment.Although some attention is paidto alternative approaches, Grisham chooses to phrase most of his discussionin transformational terms.

The most serious weakness of this introductionis its age.Certain assertions, such as the claim that "afinite-state network (regular grammar) is unsuitable" for languageprocessing (p. 18) are seen in hindsight as questionable.Further, thecurrent trend towards statistical analysis is unaddressed.

Warning: someunderstanding of predicate calculus is necessary to follow the sections onsemantic analysis. ... Read more

Product Description
Ten years of research back up the bold new theory advanced by authors Thomason and Kaufman, who rescue the study of contact-induced language change from the neglect it has suffered in recent decades. The authors establish an important new framework for the historical analysis of all degrees of contact-induced language change. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Read it, but critically
This book is a milestone in contact-linguistics. However, it is worthwhile to read Uriel Weinreich's 1953 Languages in Contact first, which is not outdated despite its date. Thomason & Kaufman are at times simplistic in their discussion of social factors as the primary determinant of language change outcomes, and the linguistic factors they accept as important in determining the outcome of language-contact should not be taken without a grain of salt. For example, 'universal markedness' is a concept which should be booed at every time it is used.
On the whole, however, this book is a clear, insightful and complex discussion of the mechanics of language-contact (incidentally, it is much better than Thomason's later book on the same subject, Language Contact: An Introduction).

Fantastic
This is the most important book about language contact and historical linguistics ever.It's very well written, and data-rich.Every historical linguist and sociolinguist should read it. ... Read more

Product Description
The way children learn their native language has been the subject of intense and widespread investigation in the last decades, stimulated by advances in theoretical linguistics and the behavioural sciences. For the student, this has meant a bewildering number of research reports, often differing in their theoretical viewpoint and the methodological approach they advocate, and apparently conflicting in their conclusions. Child Language provides the student with a cool, clear and concise survey of the most important recent research work, and puts into perspective the contributions made by Chomsky, Piaget and others. The research surveyed, though primarily of English-speaking children, includes studies of children whose first language is not English and bilingual children. Dr Elliot believes that the study of child language necessarily raises questions about the nature of language - is human language something only humans can learn? - and about learning itself - how does our ability to learn language depend on biological factors, such as our age, and how important is our social and linguistic environment? Little justification is found for the view that language has an independent existence for the young child, and their linguistic achievements are studied within the context of their development in general. ... Read more