The Story of Language

The Story of Language PDF Author: Mario A. Pei
Publisher: Signet
ISBN: 9780451617828
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description

The Story of Language

The Story of Language PDF Author: Mario A. Pei
Publisher: Signet
ISBN: 9780451617828
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


The Story of English

The Story of English PDF Author: Philip Gooden
Publisher: Quercus Books
ISBN: 9781847242723
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
Born as a Germanic tongue with the arrival in Britain of the Anglo-Saxons in the early medieval period, heavily influenced by Norman French from the 11th century, and finally emerging as modern English from the late Middle Ages, the English language has grown to become the linguistic equivalent of a superpower, and is now sometimes described as the world's lingua franca. Worldwide some 380 million people speak English as a first language and some 600 million as a second language. A staggering one billion people are believed to be learning it. English is the premier international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy and also on the Internet. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945. It is considered by many good judges to be well on the way to becoming the world's first universal language. Author Philip Gooden tells the story of the English language in all its richness and variety. From the intriguing origins and changing definitions of common words such as 'OK', 'beserk', 'curfew', 'cabal' and 'pow-wow', to the massive transformations wrought in the vocabulary and structure of the language by Anglo-Saxon and Norman conquest, through to the literary triumphs of Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales and the works of Shakespeare. The Story of English is a fascinating tale of linguistic, social and cultural transformation, and one that is accessibly and authoritatively told by an author in perfect command of his material.

The Story of English

The Story of English PDF Author: Joseph Piercy
Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books
ISBN: 1843179237
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Discover how the relatively obscure dialects spoken by tribes from what are now Denmark, the Low Countries and northern Germany, became the most widely spoken language in the world.

The Story of English

The Story of English PDF Author: Mario Pei
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English language
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


Linguistics in a Colonial World

Linguistics in a Colonial World PDF Author: Joseph Errington
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470680490
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Drawing on both original texts and critical literature, Linguistics in a Colonial World surveys the methods, meanings, and uses of early linguistic projects around the world. Explores how early endeavours in linguistics were used to aid in overcoming practical and ideological difficulties of colonial rule Traces the uses and effects of colonial linguistic projects in the shaping of identities and communities that were under, or in opposition to, imperial regimes Examines enduring influences of colonial linguistics in contemporary thinking about language and cultural difference Brings new insight into post-colonial controversies including endangered languages and language rights in the globalized twenty-first century

Latin

Latin PDF Author: Jürgen Leonhardt
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674726278
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
The mother tongue of the Roman Empire and the lingua franca of the West for centuries afterward, Latin survives today primarily in classrooms and texts. Yet this "dead language" is unique in the influence it has exerted across centuries and continents. Juergen Leonhardt offers the story of the first "world language," from antiquity to the present.

Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch PDF Author: Mark L. Louden
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421418282
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
Cover -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- CHAPTER 1. What Is Pennsylvania Dutch? -- CHAPTER 2. Early History of Pennsylvania Dutch -- CHAPTER 3. Pennsylvania Dutch, 1800-1860 -- CHAPTER 4. Profiles in Pennsylvania Dutch Literature -- CHAPTER 5. Pennsylvania Dutch in the Public Eye -- CHAPTER 6. Pennsylvania Dutch and the Amish and Mennonites -- CHAPTER 7. An American Story -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z

Language is Power

Language is Power PDF Author: John Honey
Publisher: Gardners Books
ISBN: 9780571190478
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
Across the English-speaking world there is a liberal orthodoxy which opposes the use of standard English in schools and in society at large. But does this truly protect the underprivileged, or has it inflicted lasting educational damage on a generation of children? Is Steven Pinker, best-selling author of The Language Instinct, right to claim that all languages and dialects are equal? Professor John Honey refutes the arguments that for the past three decades have been put forward against standard English, and shows how apparently egalitarian notions of 'Black English' and other dialects can effectively limit access to standard English and hence power for disadvantaged or minority groups. He discusses the charge that the worldwide teaching of English amounts to 'linguistic imperialism', and examines whether British English will inevitably lose out to American.

The Story of Language

The Story of Language PDF Author: Mario Pei
Publisher: New American Library of Canada
ISBN:
Category : Language and languages
Languages : en
Pages : 504

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Book Description
Lively, authoritative account of mankind's most important invention.

The Story of Spanish

The Story of Spanish PDF Author: Jean-Benoît Nadeau
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250023165
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 485

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Book Description
The authors of The Story of French are back with a new linguistic history of the Spanish language and its progress around the globe. Just how did a dialect spoken by a handful of shepherds in Northern Spain become the world's second most spoken language, the official language of twenty-one countries on two continents, and the unofficial second language of the United States? Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow, the husband-and-wife team who chronicled the history of the French language in The Story of French, now look at the roots and spread of modern Spanish. Full of surprises and honed in Nadeau and Barlow's trademark style, combining personal anecdote, reflections, and deep research, The Story of Spanish is the first full biography of a language that shaped the world we know, and the only global language with two names—Spanish and Castilian. The story starts when the ancient Phoenicians set their sights on "The Land of the Rabbits," Spain's original name, which the Romans pronounced as Hispania. The Spanish language would pick up bits of Germanic culture, a lot of Arabic, and even some French on its way to taking modern form just as it was about to colonize a New World. Through characters like Queen Isabella, Christopher Columbus, Cervantes, and Goya, The Story of Spanish shows how Spain's Golden Age, the Mexican Miracle, and the Latin American Boom helped shape the destiny of the language. Other, more somber episodes, also contributed, like the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion of Spain's Jews, the destruction of native cultures, the political instability in Latin America, and the dictatorship of Franco. The Story of Spanish shows there is much more to Spanish than tacos, flamenco, and bullfighting. It explains how the United States developed its Hispanic personality from the time of the Spanish conquistadors to Latin American immigration and telenovelas. It also makes clear how fundamentally Spanish many American cultural artifacts and customs actually are, including the dollar sign, barbecues, ranching, and cowboy culture. The authors give us a passionate and intriguing chronicle of a vibrant language that thrived through conquests and setbacks to become the tongue of Pedro Almodóvar and Gabriel García Márquez, of tango and ballroom dancing, of millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people throughout the world.