I Am a Linguist

I Am a Linguist PDF Author: R.M.W. Dixon
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004192352
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 413

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Book Description
The story of extended linguistic fieldwork in Aboriginal Australia, Fiji and Amazonia, linked to theoretical study of the nature of human language, also throwing in detective novels, science fiction stories and blues and gospel discography. Interspersed with frank assessment of the role of universities today.

I Am a Linguist

I Am a Linguist PDF Author: R.M.W. Dixon
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004192352
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 413

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Book Description
The story of extended linguistic fieldwork in Aboriginal Australia, Fiji and Amazonia, linked to theoretical study of the nature of human language, also throwing in detective novels, science fiction stories and blues and gospel discography. Interspersed with frank assessment of the role of universities today.

Becoming and Being an Applied Linguist

Becoming and Being an Applied Linguist PDF Author: Rod Ellis
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027266786
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
Becoming and Being an Applied Linguist contains narrative accounts of the lives of thirteen well-established applied linguists. Their professional autobiographies document the development of some of the key areas of applied linguistics – second, language acquisition, motivation, grammar, vocabulary, testing, second language writing, second language classroom research, practitioner research, English as a lingua franca, teacher cognition, and computer-assisted language learning. The book tells how these applied linguists grew into their areas of specialization. It will be of interest to any would-be applied linguist. The book also provides a readable overview of the whole field that will be of value to students of applied linguistics.

The Way of the Linguist

The Way of the Linguist PDF Author: Steve Kaufmann
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1420873296
Category : Linguistics
Languages : en
Pages : 142

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Book Description
The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey. It is now a cliché that the world is a smaller place. We think nothing of jumping on a plane to travel to another country or continent. The most exotic locations are now destinations for mass tourism. Small business people are dealing across frontiers and language barriers like never before. The Internet brings different languages and cultures to our finger-tips. English, the hybrid language of an island at the western extremity of Europe seems to have an unrivalled position as an international medium of communication. But historically periods of cultural and economic domination have never lasted forever. Do we not lose something by relying on the wide spread use of English rather than discovering other languages and cultures? As citizens of this shrunken world, would we not be better off if we were able to speak a few languages other than our own? The answer is obviously yes. Certainly Steve Kaufmann thinks so, and in his busy life as a diplomat and businessman he managed to learn to speak nine languages fluently and observe first hand some of the dominant cultures of Europe and Asia. Why do not more people do the same? In his book The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey, Steve offers some answers. Steve feels anyone can learn a language if they want to. He points out some of the obstacles that hold people back. Drawing on his adventures in Europe and Asia, as a student and businessman, he describes the rewards that come from knowing languages. He relates his evolution as a language learner, abroad and back in his native Canada and explains the kind of attitude that will enable others to achieve second language fluency. Many people have taken on the challenge of language learning but have been frustrated by their lack of success. This book offers detailed advice on the kind of study practices that will achieve language breakthroughs. Steve has developed a language learning system available online at: www.thelinguist.com.

All About Language

All About Language PDF Author: Barry J. Blake
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191622834
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
In clear, congenial style Barry Blake explains how language works. He describes the make-up of words and how they're built from sounds and signs and put together in phrases and sentences. He examines the dynamics of conversation and the relations between the sound and meaning. He shows how languages help their users connect to each other and to the world, how they vary around the world, why they never stop changing, and that no two people speak a language in the same way. He looks at how language is acquired by infant children, how it relates to thought, and its operations in the brain. He investigates current trends and issues such as the levelling of linguistic class differences and the rise of new secret or in-group languages such as argot and teenspeak. He describes the history of writing from its origins to digital diffusion, and ends by looking at how language might have originated and then evolved among our distant hominid and primate ancestors. Language is crucial to every aspect of our lives whether we're thinking, talking, or dreaming. Barry Blake reveals the wonders that lie beneath the surface of everyday communication, enriching his exposition with a unique blend of anecdote and humour. His engaging guide is for everyone curious about language or who needs to know more about it.

How Languages Work

How Languages Work PDF Author: Carol Genetti
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107782570
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 677

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Book Description
A new and exciting introduction to linguistics, this textbook presents language in all its amazing complexity, while guiding students gently through the basics. Students emerge with an appreciation of the diversity of the world's languages, as well as a deeper understanding of the structure of human language, the ways it is used, and its broader social and cultural context. Chapters introducing the nuts and bolts of language study (phonology, syntax, meaning) are combined with those on the 'functions' of language (discourse, prosody, pragmatics, and language contact), helping students gain a better grasp of how language works in the real world. A rich set of language 'profiles' help students explore the world's linguistic diversity, identify similarities and differences between languages, and encourages them to apply concepts from earlier chapter material. A range of carefully designed pedagogical features encourage student engagement, adopting a step-by-step approach and using study questions and case studies.

Don't Sleep, There are Snakes

Don't Sleep, There are Snakes PDF Author: Daniel Everett
Publisher: Profile Books
ISBN: 1847651224
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
Although Daniel Everett was a missionary, far from converting the Pirahãs, they converted him. He shows the slow, meticulous steps by which he gradually mastered their language and his gradual realisation that its unusual nature closely reflected its speakers' startlingly original perceptions of the world. Everett describes how he began to realise that his discoveries about the Pirahã language opened up a new way of understanding how language works in our minds and in our lives, and that this way was utterly at odds with Noam Chomsky's universally accepted linguistic theories. The perils of passionate academic opposition were then swiftly conjoined to those of the Amazon in a debate whose outcome has yet to be won. Everett's views are most recently discussed in Tom Wolfe's bestselling The Kingdom of Speech. Adventure, personal enlightenment and the makings of a scientific revolution proceed together in this vivid, funny and moving book.

Battle of the Linguist Mages

Battle of the Linguist Mages PDF Author: Scotto Moore
Publisher: Tordotcom
ISBN: 1250767695
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
“This is a stand-alone novel with material enough for six... By the halfway point, it had blown my mind twice... an audacious, genre-bending whirlwind.” —New York Times “It reads like Snow Crash had a dance-off with Gideon the Ninth, in a world where language isn't a virus from outer space, it's a goddamn alien invasion.” —Charles Stross In modern day Los Angeles, a shadowy faction led by the Governor of California develops the arcane art of combat linguistics, planting the seeds of a future totalitarian empire. Isobel is the Queen of the medieval rave-themed VR game Sparkle Dungeon. Her prowess in the game makes her an ideal candidate to learn the secrets of "power morphemes"—unnaturally dense units of meaning that warp perception when skilfully pronounced. But Isobel’s reputation makes her the target of a strange resistance movement led by spellcasting anarchists, who may be the only thing stopping the cabal from toppling California over the edge of a terrible transformation, with forty million lives at stake. Time is short for Isobel to level up and choose a side—because the cabal has attracted much bigger and weirder enemies than the anarchist resistance, emerging from dark and vicious dimensions of reality and heading straight for planet Earth! At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Applied Speech Technology

Applied Speech Technology PDF Author: Ann K. Syrdal
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9780849394560
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 654

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Book Description
Written by the world's top experts in the field, this multidisciplinary book explores all phases of speech technology. Topics covered include: Conversion of computerized (keyboarded) text into synthesized speech, aimed at developing "talking computers" Development of automatic speech recognition, allowing electronic devices to process verbal commands Speech training and the use of synthesized speech for the hearing- and speech-impaired In-depth discussions of specific speech technologies are included, as well as a treatment of the issues and challenges of human-computer interfaces. Oriented toward state-of-the-art applications, the book emphasizes the practical utilization of emerging technologies and includes numerous case studies.

Just A Phrase I'm Going Through

Just A Phrase I'm Going Through PDF Author: David Crystal
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134011865
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
A cross between an autobiography and an introductory to linguistics which will serve multiple purposes and appeal to both students and the general reader alike. Crystal's engaging writing style makes this both entertaining and informative, a valuable combination Answers the all important question 'What is linguistics?' and 'What do linguistics do?' through the personal story of this hugely successul and popular linguist. Includes an 8-page colour plate section with over 60 photos.

Words on the Move

Words on the Move PDF Author: John McWhorter
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1627794735
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
A bestselling linguist takes us on a lively tour of how the English language is evolving before our eyes -- and why we should embrace this transformation and not fight it Language is always changing -- but we tend not to like it. We understand that new words must be created for new things, but the way English is spoken today rubs many of us the wrong way. Whether it’s the use of literally to mean “figuratively” rather than “by the letter,” or the way young people use LOL and like, or business jargon like What’s the ask? -- it often seems as if the language is deteriorating before our eyes. But the truth is different and a lot less scary, as John McWhorter shows in this delightful and eye-opening exploration of how English has always been in motion and continues to evolve today. Drawing examples from everyday life and employing a generous helping of humor, he shows that these shifts are a natural process common to all languages, and that we should embrace and appreciate these changes, not condemn them. Words on the Move opens our eyes to the surprising backstories to the words and expressions we use every day. Did you know that silly once meant “blessed”? Or that ought was the original past tense of owe? Or that the suffix -ly in adverbs is actually a remnant of the word like? And have you ever wondered why some people from New Orleans sound as if they come from Brooklyn? McWhorter encourages us to marvel at the dynamism and resilience of the English language, and his book offers a lively journey through which we discover that words are ever on the move and our lives are all the richer for it.