Author: Anne Curzan Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 1139952285 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 209
Book Description
Over the past 300 years, attempts have been made to prescribe how we should and should not use the English language. The efforts have been institutionalized in places such as usage guides, dictionaries, and school curricula. Such authorities have aspired to 'fix' the language, sometimes by keeping English exactly where it is, but also by trying to improve the current state of the language. Anne Curzan demonstrates the important role prescriptivism plays in the history of the English language, as a sociolinguistic factor in language change and as a vital meta-discourse about language. Starting with a pioneering new definition of prescriptivism as a linguistic phenomenon, she highlights the significant role played by Microsoft's grammar checker, debates about 'real words', non-sexist language reform, and efforts to reappropriate stigmatized terms. Essential reading for anyone interested in the regulation of language, the book is a fascinating re-examination of how we tell language history.
Author: Herman Cappelen Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0192546295 Category : Philosophy Languages : en Pages : 276
Book Description
Herman Cappelen investigates ways in which language (and other representational devices) can be defective, and how they can be improved. In all parts of philosophy there are philosophers who criticize the concepts we have and propose ways to improve them. Once one notices this about philosophy, it's easy to see that revisionist projects occur in a range of other intellectual disciplines and in ordinary life. That fact gives rise to a cluster of questions: How does the process of conceptual amelioration work? What are the limits of revision? (How much revision is too much?) How does the process of revision fit into an overall theory of language and communication? Fixing Language aims to answer those questions. In so doing, it aims also to draw attention to a tradition in 20th- and 21st-century philosophy that isn't sufficiently recognized. There's a straight intellectual line from Frege and Carnap to a cluster of contemporary work that isn't typically seen as closely related: much work on gender and race, revisionism about truth, revisionism about moral language, and revisionism in metaphysics and philosophy of mind. These views all have common core commitments: revision is both possible and important. They also face common challenges about the methods, assumptions, and limits of revision.
Author: Rebecca Shapiro Publisher: ISBN: 9781611488098 Category : Encyclopedias and dictionaries Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
We all think we know what a dictionary is for and how to use one, and go right to the words we wish to look up. Yet dictionary users have not always known how English 'works' and this book reproduces and examines important texts in which early dictionary authors explain choices and promote ideas. Fixing Babel provides authoritative transcriptions of documents from the front matter of major English dictionaries over a two-hundred-year period. It also provides commentary on, and annotation of, a wide range of lexicographical concerns.
Author: Lisa Mojsin Publisher: Barrons Educational Services ISBN: 1438008104 Category : Foreign Language Study Languages : en Pages : 209
Book Description
Mastering the American Accent is an easy-to-follow approach for reducing the accent of non-native speakers of English. Well-sequenced lessons in the book correspond over eight hours of audio files covering the entire text. The audio program provides clear models (both male and female) to help coach a standard American accent. The program is designed to help users speak Standard American English with clarity, confidence, and accuracy. The many exercises in the book concentrate on topics such as vowel sounds, problematic consonants such as V, W, TH, the American R and T and others. Correct lip and tongue positions for all sounds are discussed in detail. Beyond the production of sounds, the program provides detailed instruction in prosodic elements such as syllable stress, emphasis, intonation, linking words for smoother speech flow, common word contractions, and much more. Additional topics that often confuse ESL students are also discussed and explained. They include distinguishing between casual and formal speech, homophones (e.g., they're and there), recognizing words with silent letters (e.g., comb, receipt), and avoiding embarrassing pronunciation mistakes, such as mixing up "pull" and "pool." Students are familiarized with many irregular English spelling rules and exceptions, and are shown how such irregularities can contribute to pronunciation errors. A native language guide references problematic accent issues for 13 different language backgrounds. Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.
Author: Rashmi Jindal Publisher: Notion Press ISBN: 1946204064 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 271
Book Description
The book Fix the Risk of Committing Common Errors in English is a self-help and practice book designed to cater to the needs of students preparing for any of the competitive examinations like: BANKING, SSC, GMAT, GATE, PSU, IES, CAT, TET, NDA, GRE, CDS or any other competitive Examination as well as the students of all the junior and senior classes from 6th class onwards. It would also be useful to the general public who want to learn to speak or write good English. Key Points of the Book: Covers all the Topics: Written after a great deal of research, it is a clear, concise, compact and well organized book containing even those topics which many writers leave taking them to be unnecessary like: Redundancy and Parallelism, while they are quite important. Grammar Made Easy: Like Mathematics, the book provides rules which are so designed that even an average student can easily understand them as well as grasp them. Plenty of Exercises with answers: At the end of each rule, students are provided with practice exercise to check themselves and at the end of each chapter a miscellaneous is provided so that each single rule gets injected in the students’ mind. Self Help: Designed for self-study, the book helps you like a tutor. The book can be used as a reference book as well as an ordinary text book. For more practice exercises and quizzes visit www.commonerrorsinenglish.com.
Author: Ellen Jovin Publisher: Hachette UK ISBN: 1529384656 Category : Foreign Language Study Languages : en Pages : 271
Book Description
This Grammar Guru will solve the world's problems. Or, at least, help you figure out when to use an Oxford comma. - The New York Times Put your English skills to work for you! This book is ideal for intermediate and advanced (CEFR B1-C1) nonnative speakers of English seeking to increase their communication confidence and effectiveness in the workplace. Improve your precision and professionalism so your ideas shine! The book consists of 50 short quizzes which include the most common English errors made by nonnative speakers in professional environments. This fun format allows you to find your own frequent errors and fix them. You will test your skills quickly, daily, and build your language awareness and accuracy in writing and speaking English. Short, clear explanations after each quiz help you improve your knowledge of the grammar rules. Complementing the quizzes are Ellen says boxes with the same practical advice on good communication etiquette and habits that Ellen has been sharing for years with large corporate clients in New York City and beyond. Witty and humorous drawings illustrate confusing language and common misunderstandings. The focus of the exercises is on fixing your grammar and word-choice problems. Examples are pulled from every industry: finance, law, consulting, publishing, real-estate, retail, technology, energy, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, education, advertising, government, insurance, non-profit, and more. Whatever your profession or interest, you will benefit from the exercises contained in this book. If you are just looking to sharpen your English, this book is for you, too. This India-specific edition includes a special section of the most common English errors made in the Indian workplace and their standard equivalents, as well as a downloadable reference guide of frequently confused and misused words and expressions. You will be learning from a professional writer with two decades of experience teaching executives in a business setting. A language-learner herself who has studied some two dozen languages, Ellen Jovin has written this book to help motivated working adults advance their business English on their own time and at their own pace.
Author: Walt Wolfram Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 1118391438 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 466
Book Description
The new edition of this classic text chronicles recent breakthrough developments in the field of American English, covering regional, ethnic, and gender-based differences. Now accompanied by a companion website with an extensive array of sound files, video clips, and other online materials to enhance and illustrate discussions in the text Features brand new chapters that cover the very latest topics, such as Levels of Dialect, Regional Varieties of English, Gender and Language Variation, The Application of Dialect Study, and Dialect Awareness: Extending Application, as well as new exercises with online answers Updated to contain dialect samples from a wider array of US regions Written for students taking courses in dialect studies, variationist sociolinguistics, and linguistic anthropology, and requires no pre-knowledge of linguistics Includes a glossary and extensive appendix of the pronunciation, grammatical, and lexical features of American English dialects
Author: Terttu Nevalainen Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 9780195308464 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 194
Book Description
Terttu Nevalainen helps students to place the language of the period 1500-1700 in its historical context, whilst showing its regional and social variations. He focuses on the structure of the 'general dialect' and its spelling, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, as well as its dialectal origins.
Author: Anne Curzan
Author: Anne Curzan
Author: Herman Cappelen
Author: Rebecca Shapiro
Author: Lisa Mojsin
Author: Rashmi Jindal
Author: Ellen Jovin
Author: Linda Pillière
Author: Walt Wolfram
Author: Terttu Nevalainen