Product Description
This is a very practical and accessible book that offers a comprehensive overview of research methodology in applied linguistics by describing the various stages of qualitative and quantitative investigations, from collecting the data to reporting the results.It also discusses 'mixed methods research', that is, the various combinations of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wow
The book is absolutely okay, and the delivery was really quick. I've been really surprised !

Research Methods in Applied Linguistics
I didn't expect the book to come in so early. The book came in with good condition.
I am very happy with the delivery service. Thump up! ... Read more

Product Description
This accessible textbook is the only introduction to linguistics in which each chapter is written by an expert who teaches courses on that topic, ensuring balanced and uniformly excellent coverage of the full range of modern linguistics. Assuming no prior knowledge the text offers a clear introduction to the traditional topics of structural linguistics (theories of sound, form, meaning, and language change), and in addition provides full coverage of contextual linguistics, including separate chapters on discourse, dialect variation, language and culture, and the politics of language. There are also up-to-date separate chapters on language and the brain, computational linguistics, writing, child language acquisition, and second-language learning. The breadth of the textbook makes it ideal for introductory courses on language and linguistics offered by departments of English, sociology, anthropology, and communications, as well as by linguistics departments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

linguistics and phonetics
linguistics and phonetics go hand in hand - this is a great resource for an intro to how one feeds the other, with the primary emphasis on the spoken. highly recommended! ... Read more

Product Description
Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader is a comprehensive collection of the best work that has been published in this exciting and growing area of anthropology, and is organized to provide a guide to key issues in the study of language as a cultural resource and speaking as a cultural practice.

• Revised and updated, this second edition contains eight new articles on key subjects, including speech communities, the power and performance of language, and narratives
• Selections are both historically oriented and thematically coherent, and are accessibly grouped according to four major themes: speech community and communicative competence; the performance of language; language socialization and literacy practices; and the power of language
• An extensive introduction provides an original perspective on the development of the field and highlights its most compelling issues
• Each section includes a brief introductory statement, sets of guiding questions, and list of recommended readings on the main topics

Customer Reviews (2)

Language is Power
I just finished reading Alesandro Duranti's 1997 book for my linguistic anthropology core class. I wanted to take the opportunity here to comment on this book. A. Duranti goes through all of the major theoretical underpinnings and morphological manifestations that the discipline has endured since its inception from the likes of Boas and Sapir in the early 20th century. It has changed and gone through many necessary changes during its lifetime. In order to truly place our finger on the intentions of the "other," we must strive to open a dialogue with the "other" through the practice of speaking, analysis of discourse, and make assumptions based on interpretations to better understand the cultural baggage each one of us carries. This is healthy and natural, and summarizes what it means to be human. Linguistic anthropology taps into human psychology, and the social enterprise in many ways that I have never been able to imagine. A. Duranti eloquently explains linguistic anthropology's rightful place as a science and a discipline worthy of perpetuation in posterity. I sincerely hope others read it in order to assist in this perpetuation of what it means to be human through the practice of speaking.

Liked its approach
Reading this book I felt Duranti to be less of a linguist and more of an anthropologist--which I found to be a useful approach, giving quite a different perspective on the field than, for example, William Foley's book of similar title. Especially interesting were the sections on fieldworkmethodology and ethics, a topic which I haven't seen covered in other bookson linguistic anthropology. However, some of the linguistic stuff couldhave been explained in more detail, and Duranti doesn't include as much onrecent perspectives as some others. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A magnificent introduction and reference.
Along with Paynes "Describing Morphosyntax" (ISBN: 0521588057), this book will help any student -- or entertain any enthusiast --of languages or linguistics.It treats various types of syntactic theory in a manner that (rarely among such useful works) is clear, engaging and (in places) enthralling.While drawing on the familiar "old standards" for grammatic comparison (Russian, Dyirbal, Yakut, Hikxaryana, Japanese, etc), the way comparisons are drawn between systems reveals isomorphisms and patterns that are certainly elegant and perhaps beautiful.Comrie has, as ever, produced a thing of wonder. ... Read more

Product Description
This book addresses the most pressing and controversial issues surrounding contemporary language use today, including intercultural communication, political persuasion, new technologies, the growth of English, language in education and foreign language teaching and learning.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Practical, Medium Level of Academic Language, Great Overview
Applied Linguistics is one in a series of books by OUP, edited by H. Widdowson, geared to introduce new readers to the more complex and formal study of language use. Although considered a natural phenomenon, for educational purposes language use requires certain factors to be reviewed. These include: language skills; dialect or standard forms; new lexis; English as a lingua franca; and methodology.
In order to answer the many questions arising from these issues, facts aboutlanguage use must be investigated and analyzed. Applied Linguistics approaches this task by studying the relation of knowledge about language to decision making in the real world (p. 5). Specific areas include: language and education; language work and law; and language, information and effect.
Since all these areas cannot be covered in one book, Cook has endeavored to select key themes which would give a comprehensive overview of the main issues regarding applied linguistics. The heart of the book, referred to as the 'Survey', offeres a concise and challenging summary of the most important features of applied linguistics. Those captivated by a specific subject will apprechate the Readings and References sections. Chapter. four offers an overview of ELT history by briefly describing various approaches to TEFL from grammar translation to communicative language teaching, and how they vary. The shift of emphasis from the means to the ends of language learning has had far-reading consequences at both the macro level of syllabus and curriculum design and the micro level of classroom activity (p. 31), such as the development of ESP (macro) and task-based instruction (micro).
Cook has combined a medium level of academic language with everyday, practical examples of life at home and school which most EFL/ESL teachers can understand and relate to. For the real novice, he has kindly included a glossary of terms at the back. I can highly recommend Applied Linguistics to teachers who have little or no background knowledge in applied linguistics, as ell as to those interested in pursuing speciic issues in this field.
J. Salvisberg, Bern, Switzerland ... Read more

Product Description
In Basic Linguistic Theory R. M. W. Dixon provides a new and fundamental characterization of the nature of human languages and a comprehensive guide to their description and analysis. In three clearly written and accessible volumes, he describes how best to go about doing linguistics, the most satisfactory and profitable ways to work, and the pitfalls to avoid. In the first volume he addresses the methodology for recording, analysing, and comparing languages. He argues that grammatical structures and rules should be worked out inductively on the basis of evidence, explaining in detail the steps by which an attested grammar and lexicon can built up from observed utterances. He shows how the grammars and words of one language may be compared to others of the same or different families, explains the methods involved in cross-linguistic parametric analyses, and describes how to interpret the results. Volume 2 and volume 3 (to be published in 2011) offer in-depth tours of underlying principles of grammatical organization, as well as many of the facts of grammatical variation. 'The task of the linguist,' Professor Dixon writes, 'is to explain the nature of human languages - each viewed as an integrated system - together with an explanation of why each language is the way it is, allied to the further scientific pursuits of prediction and evaluation.'

Basic Linguistic Theory is the triumphant outcome of a lifetime's thinking about every aspect and manifestation of language and immersion in linguistic fieldwork. It is a one-stop text for undergraduate and graduate students of linguistics, as well as for those in neighbouring disciplines, such as psychology and anthropology. ... Read more

Product Description
Teach Yourself Linguistics is a straightforward introduction to linguistics, the systematic study that seeks to answer two fundamental questions: "What is language?" and "How does language work?" This book outlines the scope of linguistics, explaining the basic concepts and essential terminology. It discusses sound patterning, syntax, and meaning, as well as the rapidly growing areas of pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and stylistics. And it explores language and linguistic typology, as well as contemporary uses of language and style in literature, advertising, and newspapers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

mostly readable and accessible and interesting
This compact DIY book goes through a broad introduction of the field of linguistics including basic terminology, concepts, and different branches such as sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and the one I found most interesting (for obvious reasons): stylistics, which is the linguistic analysis of literary language.

Chomsky's various linguistic theories over the years are outlined and it's clear we haven't found a unifying grammar to describe English, let alone all languages.This last is Chomsky's goal, and he's lately put forth the vaguely disturbing theory that children are born with an 'innate' framework of linguistics and then switch on/off different parametres as culture and experience dictate.

I found it about half of the book to be extremely readable and accessible, and the other half suddenly dense and technical.Something in between might have been better, but as a first look for a lay person, it was quite good.

An excellent introduction to a fascinating subject
It's challenging to write a textbook that accurately and clearly explains a technical subject to technical readers. It's much more difficult to write a book that accurately and clearly explains a technical subject to a lay audience. In this book Aitchison has done a fantastic job of the latter, giving a breezy, well-written, and technically accurate survey of the field of linguistics. (He lost me a little bit only at the end, when he got into the details of Chomsky's theories.)

I have read other popular books on linguistics (which I have also enjoyed) but was looking for the more academic treatment provided here. Besides giving a brief survey of several aspects of linguistics, Aitchison also provides an extensive bibliography with pointers of further reading.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about this field!

Great Introduction, Wonderfully Organized
I have to admit: when I first ordered Teach Yourself Linguistics, I was highly skeptical. I had never been a fan of those series that claim they have a subject on everything, and hire "experts" in the field. I was greatly surprised by the clear and easy to understand organization, and was also impressed that the book did not attempt to appeal as a "bedside table" book. Instead, it is written almost like the notes of a textbook, with the fat and excess trimmed out.

The book starts with an introduction to the field of linguistics, answering questions such as "What is linguistics?", "How does it differ from grammar?" and "Why study linguistics?" It then goes on to explain language in a brief, succint chapter, after introducing readers to the various fields of linguistics.

Part ll of the book introduces the reader to the three core areas of linguistics: phonology, syntax, and semantics.

Part lll goes onto describe the up and coming fields of linguistics: sociolinguistics, pyscholinguistics, and stylistics.

The book goes on to describe language change, and ends with a chapter concerning generative grammar and language universals. (Noam Chomsky)

All and all, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in anything concerning linguistics, as it provides a take-off point for those who want to explore other specific fields. Happy reading!!!

EXCELLENT book
This book is very well written in a way that is easy to grasp. For me at least, this is a book I can sit down and just read. It is very thorough, and provides a lot of information on how linguistics works, what it is, and explains the technical terms providing exampels mostly in english, but also uses some latin and compares English with German some at one point. It goes through some of the major theories and schools of thought and also different applications for linguistics. For example, it talks about psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics, which are fields of psychology and sociology concerning language. It also talks about the anthropological, literary, and other applications and fields of linguistic science. I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in language.

Excellent handbook
Only 250 small pages, yet it gives you a very good overview of linguistics, and is written in an easy to digest style, with lots ofdiagrammatic illustrations to boost your understanding.It could also be used as a quick look up reference book.

In Part 5 of the book, you will find simple but quality explanations on Universal Grammer, Deep Structure, Transformations, etc.And it gives an excellent overview of how one theory has led to another, such as, how Noam Chomsky arrived at the Minimalist approach used today, its very instructive, without being swamped in details!

Highly recommended and cost less than $12.00! ... Read more

Product Description
There comes a time when it is both useful, and appropriate, for the purpose of continuing to expand our understanding of the universe we live in, for entirely new fields of study to be created. Separating new from old, exceptions from rules, and useful from previously unquestionable. So learning and experiences from entirely divergent fields have the opportunity to combine knowledge and experience into configurations that allow further growth, understanding, and impact upon ourselves as a species. It is in this way that neuro-linguistic programming came into being. We wish at this point to separate our NLP from the many fields from which it draws information, from the many fields for which it has application. And in this way have greater clarity and freedom to delineate NLP's own methodologies and basic purpose. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Classic book, but not for lazy NLP noobs
I'm a huge NLP fan and i use it to make people do what you want them to do every day with it.
anyways, any NLP trainer will tell you that NLP constantly evolves, but they don't tell you that "constantly evolving" means that stuff is omitted so that Noobs don't get scared and stop paying for more training.

I received my NLP training and thought that something was amiss so i used the power of the internet to find every old NLP book i could to further my understanding and application abilities, this was one of those books.
The thing you'll find with old nlp books is that they spend volumes talking about techniques that current trainers spend maybe 10-30 minutes on. current trainers do this to overload you and get your money.

anyways, this book is awesome. it takes its time and has transcripts demonstrating parts of a huge methodology which goes like this Figure out their Model of reality (test), elicit a Strategy with TOTE (test), Utilize their behavior and VAKOG's against them (test), design a smooth Installation that they will most likely accept (test), then install your creation into their mind (final test). If they don't take your installation you use REFRAMING to force them to accept installation (final final test)....pure genius.

Most new trainers will tell you that there are a lot of steps that can be omitted to make this process simpler like Find Single problem, Elicit strategy, Test, Reframe to Install new idea, which does work, but in reality only saves you like 5 minutes where you can go through the old process and totally figure someone out and have the necessary ammo to totally bend their mind to your whim...or help them. :P

anyways, don't fall for scammer nlp trainer's who promise a "fast track" to persuasion. buy this book instead. its a solid read and it focuses on basic basic basic persuasion skills that you can use in any conversation to become a persuasion god.

I had no ideaa this was still in print...Hurray!!!
This book is by one of the first wave of NLP scholars and innovators. Of them all Dilts and John Ginder were the two real scholars in the group. Dilts in this book shows that not only is he an innovative scholar and therapist but an author who can take material which can be complicated and explain it clearly and in a interesting way.

If you are interested in what NLP is and what it can do, this book will give you many of the basic patterns of practice. While Bandler and many of the other authors are entertaining, this book will give the patterns in clear prose without self promotion. Most of the classic texts and books will give you less. This is not like some of the books which give one or two patterns in the entire book. It rather gives pattern after pattern after technique in clear and understandable prose without water time or space.

If you want to learn it, this is the book. You will find few that give as much information as clearly.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming: Volume I (The Study of the Structure of Subjective Experience)
This is the woulderful book

Good book about Personality Strategies.
Ever wonder how people do things with their personal strategies?Robert Dilts crafts a great book about the different strategies and meta-strategies in learning and beyond. The beginning neuro linguisticprogrammer will learn about the different representational systems:auditory, visual, kinesthetic, gustatory and olfactory.How do people runtheir motivational or inspirational strategies for example ? One mayimagine learning something quite useful for figuring out the lock insomeone's personality.Elegant book for trainers who have to convince ortrain people with new material. Learn about how to discover people'sstrategies with this book. It's very logical and very scientific.Not abook for intuitive types! This is pure research and useful strategy aboutstrategies in the world of neuro linguistic programming. Ever wonder howsuccessful people become successful people? Here's the toolbox!

Great book for people who like to learn about strategy.
I learned about Neuro Linguistic Programming

and the different strategies or meta-strategies.

It's not for the faint-hearted.

It's very, very logical.

It doesn't do well for all those intuitives outthere!

Once you have flexibility, you like Robert Dilts

greatdistillation of innovative ideas.

I can't wait to train with him in thenear future.

For computer people as well who like to get a way from thecomputer and into something more human.

If you like lockpicking, thisbook is about how to

distinguish the different locks in people'srepresentational systems and personalities.

I thoroughly enjoyed thesection about Modelling

and the Strategies section.

For human resourcetrainers this is a must read.

You will find the Design section ahoot!

Also for those physicists and mathematicians and doctors who liketo map our personality and the genius behind life strategies.

Own thisbook! for your growing Neuro Linguistic Programming book collection.

Igave one to my mentor professor,Dr. Barclay at Michigan State University! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Finally a convincing commentary on Genesis !
I read several commentaries on the book of Genesis. There was always something good to take, and always a bad impression of the author not willing to look the text face to face.
Collins does not pass all the criteria for us, but he has the merit of looking at the text as a text : discourse analysis guides his study, and careful exegesis lies at the back; several misconceptions about the text are underlined and the defensers of several, often opposed views, on Genesis, are faced with the real questions : how can we escape the impression of chronology in the first chapter, or the impression of a geographic location of the garden in the second ? (for instance).
Theological perspective and "reverberations" are also carefully examined, which make this book a very useful tool for the preacher o teacher on Genesis, or even on systematic theology; I significantly used it for both !
We don't agree with everything, but recommand this book as the best we have read on the question. Note that we don't recommand it as an outstanding reference on the faith/science debate, and it is not intended for this purpose. But it would clearly help with the biblical perspective.

Good one for real scholars

Having plowed thru this work at a snail's pace and being very impressed but retaining little, I realize that I am smart enough to know that this book is too smart for me. But with proper background in languages etc. the work would have the value others have put upon it. If you are like me...a college dude but inept in Hebrew, literary analysis etc, perhaps the works by Glover, Walton and Denis Alexander would be a better investment. Language scholars...you'll love Collins!

Academically Oriented and Scholarly
This is a superb book for the academically oriented student of the Old Testament.Collins presents a well fashioned examinated of the various aspects of Scripture relative to Genesis 1-4.Well suited for someone in seminary who loves detailed studies that are well documented.Not for those who are new to the Bible or who are unfamiliar with the Old Testiment.

Articulate but not compelling
It is difficult to write a review for this book because I found it simply unremarkable. Collins presents an exegesis of Genesis 1-4 that sees Genesis 1:1-2:3 as "exalted prose" and from Genesis 2:4 on as narrative prose. For his exegesis, he uses a method that he calls the discourse-oriented literary approach, also referred to as discourse analysis. This approach was cursorily defined in the text, but because it depended on the particular form of Hebrew words, it was impossible for one untrained in ancient Hebrew, like myself, to assess the validity of this method. Thus, the exegetical method that he uses lends itself to only experts in Hebrew. But apart from the method, the book had the feel that the targeted reader was simply Biblically literate. So I wonder whom the audience was that Collins intended. Despite this significant drawback, I enjoyed much of his commentary, particularly his sections outlining the "reverberations" of the text in later Scripture. The later chapters of the book, which deal with Chapters 1-4 as a whole, are the real strength of this book. They discuss the current debates over interpretation, what can be meant by the historicity of these chapters, and the impact of these chapters on the larger narrative of Scripture.

Won't find a better book on this subject available
Dr. 'Jack' Collins, a professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO., has made accessible to laity and laymen alike, a very sound explanation and commentary on perhaps the most important chapters of the Bible. Writing from a conservative, Reformed viewpoint and with an eye of assisting pastors, other scholars and the layman who wishes to educate himself with a sound interpretation of the text, Collins is careful to avoid extremes and his writing is balanced. As he indicates in the introduction, he could have made a very long volume with his notes, but his text is tightly written, with an outstanding bibliography for those who want to dig deeper on the subject.

Collins writes about the Biblical text from what is called a discourse-literary approach, which he judges to be his most important contribution to this first section of the Bible. He wants to show how the ancient languages and literature apply to not only us today, but especially to their first audience, how it fits within the whole of the Bible's canon and what its theological point is. In a sense, he writes and explains the Genesis 1-4 as a story, told to a particular people, with certain language markers that would have mattered greatly to them. This book would fall under the category of Biblical rather than Systematic theology, regarding the text.

It is absolutely essential for the reader to grasp the first section of the book, where Collins explains why and how understanding the literary nature of the text matters. Collins does spend about 200 pages specifically interpreting the text of the four chapters, which makes up the middle section of the book. He concludes the book with a discussion on the authorship (which he asserts was Moses about the time of the Exodus), what the point of Genesis 1-4 was, and finally of special interest to our particular age, a discussion on Genesis 1-4 through history and science.

Collins was a MIT educated engineer before pursuing a ministerial and academic career in theology. His principle comments about modern creation science, that Genesis 1 - 4 neither agrees or disagrees with attempts to force to highly literalistic approach beyond what is in the Bible is consistent with his exegesis of the Bible. Collins, certainly an advocate for special, supernatural creation, is careful to not make the Bible say what others have made it say.

This is an excellent commentary, for pastors and interested laymen alike. The reader will gain fresh perspectives on the text by attempting to understand it first as literature with a theological point, about how the God of the Bible wants to interact with his people, through space and time. The reader probably will not be able to find a more contemporary and accessible book of this kind available today.

If interested in Dr. Collins thoughts specifically on the role of science, faith and origins, the readers might be interested in Science and Faith: Friend or Foes.
... Read more

Product Description
Statistical analysis is a useful skill for linguists and psycholinguists, allowing them to understand the quantitative structure of their data. This textbook provides a straightforward introduction to the statistical analysis of language. Designed for linguists with a non-mathematical background, it clearly introduces the basic principles and methods of statistical analysis, using 'R', the leading computational statistics programme. The reader is guided step-by-step through a range of real data sets, allowing them to analyse acoustic data, construct grammatical trees for a variety of languages, quantify register variation in corpus linguistics, and measure experimental data using state-of-the-art models. The visualization of data plays a key role, both in the initial stages of data exploration and later on when the reader is encouraged to criticize various models. Containing over 40 exercises with model answers, this book will be welcomed by all linguists wishing to learn more about working with and presenting quantitative data. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great if you know some statistics, a little R, and some linguistics
This book is very well organized, and has a wealth of information. That being said, it is not for absolute beginners. It assumes that you already know a little bit about statistics, R, and linguistics. You should have some basic knowledge of t-tests, ANOVA and the like before reading. You should also go through some of the R tutorials if you have not used R before. Once you have that basic knowledge, this book will really help you learn how to do some advanced statistical analyses of your linguistic data. There are many code samples, including some R packages which you can download.

Better Than an Online R Course
Having decided to tune up my R skills beyond the dabbling stage, I bought this book and signed up for an online class in R data handling.The course is very good, but this book is just as good or better--and it's cheaper by a factor of 10.I recommend the book.It is written to introduce linguistics students to basic statistical analysis in their discipline using R as their first tool.It works just as well for an SPSS-using psychologist who wants to learn R a little better and snoop in on what the linguists are doing.

R. Baayen's R book is well organized.The first two chapters encourage readers to sit down at their computer and type commands into the R command line.This hands-on introduction is supplemented by guidance on managing R sessions and creating command files.Subsequent chapters teach basic graphing techniques and statistical probability.The book then steps through the standard curriculum of introductory statistics, from simple t-tests through advanced regression modeling.Chapter 6 on clustering and classification gives this topic more attention that it receives in most introductory stats texts.The data sets and analysis tasks are drawn from applied linguistics and seem realistic and interesting--to this psychologist, anyway.

The book's instructional chapters are supported by helpful resources.The data sets and associated files are easily downloaded from the author's web site.The chapters are filled with example R code and output, allowing readers to follow examples closely and check their work.Back-of-the-book materials include answers to chapter exercises, a topical organization of R functions, and a very complete and up-to-date reference section.Three separate indices help readers find references to datasets and R commands as well as general topics.

My knowledge of and skill with R has increased as a result of using this book.I feel well prepared to conduct analyses in R that I have done previously in SPSS because I have become familiar with not only specific commands, but with the R way of doing things.I'll be moving on to Quantitative Corpus Linguistics with R: A Practical Introduction to supplement my experience in text mining with a better understanding of what computational linguists do in R. ... Read more

Product Description
Linguistics: An Introduction to Linguistic Theory is a textbook, written for introductory courses in linguistic theory for undergraduate linguistics majors and first-year graduate students, by twelve major figures in the field, each bringing their expertise to one of the core areas of the field - morphology, syntax, semantics, phonetics, phonology, and language acquisition. In each section the book is concerned with discussing the underlying principles common to all languages, showing how these are revealed in language acquisition and in the specific grammars of the world's languages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Intro to Linguistics
I thought this book was very good.My friend who has a master's in linguistics recommended it to me for an overview of the field.Anyone wanting to know about linguistics should read this, but it is very academic for those of you who do not like reading textbooks.

Very Helpful Book
This book is very helpful for people who are doing Linguistics for the first time.What is really amazing about this book is that its progressive, you can use it after you finish your undergraduate program.This book is very practical in its approach which makes learning linguistics an enjoyable experience.I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in keeping a really great linguistic book in their personal library [or public library] and for anyone who has no clue about linguistics and is planning to either do a course or just for general knowledge. ... Read more

Product Description
Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader is a comprehensive collection of thebest work that has been published in this exciting and growing area ofanthropology, and is organized to provide a guide to the study oflanguage as a cultural resource and speaking as a culturalpractice. The selections are both historically oriented andthematically coherent and are groupe d according to four major themes:speech community and communicative competence; the performance oflanguage; language socialization and literary practices; and the powerof language. Noted scholar Alessandro Duranti' s extensiveintroduction provides an original perspective on the development ofthe field and highlights its most compelling issues.Each section ofthe volume includes a brief introductory statement, a set of guidingquestions, and a list of recommended readings." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

linguistic anthropology
txt bk. came in great condition. lowest price. ordered the book online, got it a a wk or 2 later. easy business. thanks.

Great book.
This was an excellent read and continues to be a very highly valued resource.It covers the most exciting and new areas in lingustic anthropology.A must for students of linguistics. ... Read more

Product Description
New 4th Edition completely revised and updated with new DVD now available; ISBN 1-56368-283-4 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Just as i expected!
the book came in great timing and had the marks and everything that were in the description! It was a great price for the book and the seller was awesome about description and timeliness.

linguistics
This explains all of the hows and whys of ASL.This book hit on challenging topics like morphology.The passages and lessons were interesting.

Linguistics of American Sign Language
I'm an ITP student, and this is the textbook for our linguistics class.It's great.Don't expect to learn any sign from it though, this book assumes you already have a beginning level vocabulary.The book starts out with an introduction to Language and linguistics and progressively gets more difficult it it's exploration of ASL structure.Basically this book informs you as to why you do the things you do while signing.A must read!

THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ
This is definitly the best book I've ever read, just because the fact that I love this language and everything about it.I am hearing but I want to deaf and all I have are deaf friends. I think hearing people are deaf bashers and need to learn more.This book gave me even more understanding about the linguestics of ASL!! ... Read more

Product Description
This book is about investigating the way people use language in speech and writing. It introduces the corpus-based approach to the study of language, based on analysis of large databases of real language examples and illustrates exciting new findings about language and the different ways that people speak and write. The book is important both for its step-by-step descriptions of research methods and for its findings about grammar and vocabulary, language use, language learning, and differences in language use across texts and user groups. ... Read more

Product Description
Offers a comprehensive account of the history of linguistic thought from its European origins some 2500 years ago to the present day. Examines the independent development of linguistic science in China, Medieval Islam, and India. Paper. DLC: Linguistics - History. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A bombastic book
This title describes the history of linguistics as one periodization after another, this leads to an avalanch of information, that leaves one feeling barried. As one of my classmates said, the author sucks off all the meat and presents the bones. A dull and overly informative read.

Short indeed
A better title for this book might be "A Short History of EUROPEAN Linguistics."Although Indian and Chinese linguistics are mentioned, they are treated as sidetracks of chapters about Western thought.This is rather strange, given the tremendous insights of Panini, which Robins seems to suggest led to new breakthroughs once these works were discovered by Western linguists.Perhaps a more accurate approach would have been to start with the earliest Indian linguistic traditions, follow how these traditions led to Panini, and then spread to China.The wrong turns taken by various European linguists from the Greeks until the discovery of Panini by Europeans could then be treated briefly as a sidetrack.

Aside from these quibbles over the subject matter and orientation, I found this book rather hard to follow.On the back cover, a blurb by Language International states ". . . a clearly written history of the study of linguistics from Classical Greece onwards."I didn't find the writing clear at all.On numerous occasions, lack of proper connecting expressions makes the message hard to follow.For instance, we find on p. 175 "Much of what has been briefly noticed in ancient Indian speculation on semantics and the theory of language strikes chords already familiar in the western tradition, though their approach is often rather different.What is most remarkable about Indian phonetic work is its manifest superiority in conception and execution, especially in phonetics, as compared with anything produced in the west or elsewhere before the Indian contribution had become known there."Such a message could be expressed much more clearly by comparing directly the similarity of Western and Indian work on semantics with the dissimilarity of Western and Indian work on phonetics.Alternatively, the author could compare the equality of Western and Indian work on semantics with the inferiority of Western work on phonetics in relation to Indian work.But starting the second sentence, with "What is most remarkable about Indian phonetic work" leads the reader to assume that the previous sentence should have been extolling the more minor virtues of Indian phonetic work, and that what follows will be the greatest achievement of Indian phonetic work.Such lack of care with linking expressions requires the reader to stop and re-read the passage several times in order understand what is being said.Such potentially confusing passages permeate this book.

I found the final two chapters, devoted to the first and second half of the twentieth centuries exceedingly hard-to-follow.The first of these chapters has an extremely weak story-line, consisting mostly of short summaries of the work of individual researchers, without satisfactory connections being made.There is little sense of balance; the Prague School is barely mentioned while Firth gets six pages.The latter chapter meanders through the development of Chomky's theory without providing many satisfactory explanations.See, for instance, p. 261: "The emphasis on the explanatory goal of Chomskyan linguistics or of any linguistic theory inspired by him, is ever more strongly made.As a result the term transformational, so frequent in former textbooks, has now almost disappeared and the Chomskyan theory is now designated simply as generative linguistics."It may be true that Chomskyan linguistics increasingly emphasizes the goal of explanation, but it's hard to see how this emphasis directly caused the demise of the term "transformational".The material on Chomsky ends with Government and Binding theory; no mention is made of Minimalism or Optimality (in phonology or syntax), both of which were well established by 1997 when this edition was published.Coverage of developments in phonology ends with The Sound Pattern of English (1968). Developments in sociolinguistics are briefly mentioned in the final chapter, although Labov's name does not appear.The rise of new fields such as computational linguistics is not mentioned at all, nor are non-Chomskyan theories of syntax.The book concludes with "In striving towards the understanding and knowledge of language, man has throughout his intellectual history been seeking more fully to attain self-knowledge, and to obey the injunction that faced the visitor to Apollo's temple at Delphi, the centre of the ancient Greek world, where our civilization finds its source: (2 untranslated Greek words)."If you haven't had the benefit of a classical education, you're out of luck with this one.

Despite these shortcomings, this book is highly informative and well referenced.In addition to providing a brief background of the development of European linguistic science, it also gives an overview of general philosophical thought over the 2000 years covered by the book.If you're looking for a brief overview of European linguistics and philosophy, and you're willing to spend some time fighting with the text to understand the meaning, then this book may serve your purposes.

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You're not linguist without reading this book. ... Read more

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This book focuses on linguistic landscapes in present-day urban settings. In a wide-ranging collection of studies of major world cities, the authors investigate both the forces that shape linguistic landscape and the impact of the linguistic landscape on the wider social and cultural reality. ... Read more

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Postmodern Theory for a Pre-Modern Practice

From the sigils of chaos magic to the numerical code of Qabalah, all magical practices operate in a web of symbols and language. Yet academics seldom examine the role that semiotics and linguistics play in the unfolding of magical works.

In the follow-up to his debut Postmodern Magic, Patrick Dunn returns once again to the theoretical realm of the sign, the signified, and the changeable perceptions of a slippery reality. Intellectual and aggressively modern, his language-driven perspective on magic touches on all elements voiced and written, from speaking in tongues and creating mantras to composing Enochian spells and working with gematria. A hefty appendix includes exercises that put Dunn's theories to work, as well as the first published dictionary of English alphabet numerology.

Highly literate and highly readable, Magic, Power, Language, Symbol will tickle the minds of theory-thirsty academics and seasoned mages alike, as well as anyone else eager to examine the manufacture of meaning.

Customer Reviews (6)

The Professor returns
Professor Dunn returns with his second book, and it's well worth reading. This one delves into some places that hisPostmodern Magic touched upon. Prof. Dunn here gives technical pointers on the use of language to facilitate magical practice. People might look at this and think, "duhh...," however, most people actually have not given this subject the attention it really deserves. This book is full of "I never thought of that!" moments, and any practitioner is bound to come away from it with new practical ideas.

Fantastic!!
highly detailed, this book fulfills it's claims. a great breakdown of the esoteric uses of linguistics. goes great with Robert Anton Wilson and Umberto Eco!

The power of words in magic - The magical power of words
A welcome addition to the growing body of metaphysical literature, "Magic Power Language Symbol" details a linguistic theory of magical and occult practice.Written by Patrick Dunn, a scholar of linguistics and known for his previous work "Postmodern Magic" (not a prerequisite for this book), it deals with aspects of magic that are mysteriously absent in virtually all other treatments.Being someone without any prior knowledge of linguistics, the book opened up a world of ideas that, had I not been interested in theories on magic, would have probably been ignored; and to great detriment, since I now see how pervasive language is in all aspects of life.

One must wonder after reading this book: why do most books on magic ignore the importance of words?True, there exists explanations on why specific words are present in rituals-- various God-names or angelic powers; even techniques like Hebrew gematria or notariqon (words made from acronyms) are dealt with extensively in other treatments.But all fail to explain the power of words on the subconscious mind.Patrick Dunn imparts clear explainations on why words and language are so powerful in magic, and you will also understand the magical power of words.

The mystery of words in magic should be obvious to anyone who takes but a moment to consider the magical jargon.After all, a ritual designed to cause some effect in the world is called a "spell".Spelling we know from, well, spelling words.Moreover, a book of magical rituals is called a "grimoire", which is a French term meaning "book of grammar".On top of that, the patron deity of magic is Thoth-Hermes, the God of writing and language.

"Magic Power Language Symbol" explains this mystery.It is highly recommended for all interested in the power of words, the use of words in ritual, as well as those interested in theories of how magic actually works.In addition, it is recommended for a general audience, for the very important reason that word-magic can be used against you without you knowing it.Just turn on the news-- you'll see what I mean!

After two introductory chapters dealing with theories of symbols and language (linguistics) as they relate to magic, the chapters move on to specific topics, and can be read independently.The middle chapters treat incantations, sigils, Enochian, speaking in tongues, Qabalah (that is, literal Qabalah-- gematria, notariqon, temurah, etc.), and mantras.The final two chapters are the best and are probably some of the author's finest ideas.Chapter nine deals with myth and metaphor, detailing how they inform the magical consciousness.Chapter ten explains the power, positive or negative, of self-talk-- that is, how the internal dialogue we use actually programs our subconscious mind, which can give us disturbed feelings if used negatively, or else empowered feelings if used positively.This final chapter would be very beneficial to anyone who may be going through therapy or taking medication and wants to find a more empowering way of coping.These techniques are non-ritualistic, so could be profited from by those who do not consider themselves magicians.

The only drawback is that the practical exercises are relegated to an appendix at the back of the book.I didn't really notice them until I finished the book, and was disappointed by this, since I would have liked to have seen them at the end of the chapters instead.However, there are discussions that hint at practical techniques spread throughout the text.It must be given praise, since it could have been written in a very abstruse style, coming from a linguist, but it is actually very readable.Overall, a fantastic book, recommended to all, and may even become a classic.

Recommended with reservations.
The author covers the basics of linguistics, touches on chaos magic, and briefly explores some older magical alphabets, particularly Enochian. There is little here that any language major or well-read layman hasn't encountered on alphabet formation, language families and history, and linguistic theory. Dunn revisits the elements of Jewish magic, skims the surface of Greco-Egyptian necromantic sorcery, and briefly discusses sigilization and its discontents. Metaphor is addressed, but a better understanding of how metaphor lies its way to truth may be better appreciated by reading Lakoff and Johnson's original work.

I have never quite understood why matching the letters of the Hebrew alphabet with the major arcana of the tarot is thought to be meaningful. The Judeo-Christian tradition held that Hebrew was both a language of divine revelation and mankind's original form of speech, hence magical. Neither claim could be entertained by any informed person, least of all a pagan. If the author enjoys doodling in Hebrew, so be it. Whatever works. For those with little or no interest in Hebrew, however, some sections of the book can be skipped. It is my guess that orthodox Jews invested so much energy in playing speculative games with the Hebrew alphabet because Judaism frowned on representational art. Obviously modern magicians labor under no such restrictions. Give me art over alphabet any day.

For those beginning to feel their way through the magical maze, this book offers some useful information and tools. Certainly our (mis)use of language deserves careful reflection and Patrick Dunn has many relevant if not particularly original observations to make on this subject. Since magic in the Western tradition is tightly language-bound, attention must be paid to the pitfalls. The book is therefore recommended with the above reservations.

A good explanation of the connection between linguistics and magic
Overall, I was fairly impressed by this book. I think Dunn does an excellent job of explaining a lot of the theories behind language and magic, as well as showing how theories can be made into practice. He explores concepts of gematria, glossalia, metaphor, semiotics and much more and in the process makes all the concepts approachable and easy to understand. In fact, I think that's the strength of this book. It's written so that anyone can pick up the book, read about the concepts, and put them into practice, though at least in the case of gematria, readers will probably need to have a decent familiarity with Quabala.

I also liked his explanation of the semiotic web and the Defixio. In both cases he not only explains the theory, but also provides personal anecdotes and suggestions for how the reader can incorporate those practices into his/her work. I think his latest book is a good introduction to linguistics and magic, and he provides the reader some other works to explore once they finish his work.

I did have two minor issues which made this book a four out of five for me. The fourth appendix of the book has a bunch of practical exercises for the book. It seems odd that the exercises are placed at the end of the book, instead of incorporated into the book. I'm not sure if that a decision of the publisher or the author. The other issue is that while he does cover a lot of the connection between linguistics and magic, he doesn't cover much of the contemporary work occurring with linguistics or magic. He dedicates only a small section to the contemporary work. That said, this a good primer for linguistics and magic and how the two disciplines can be brought together. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in branching outward from more conventional approaches to magic. ... Read more

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A text in language and linguistics which is a one-volume description of the Spanish language and its differences from English, it ranges from pronunciation and grammar to word meaning, language use, and social and dialectical variation. Designed for survey courses in Spanish linguistics with technical concepts explained in context for beginners in the field, Spanish/English Contrasts brings out the ways in which insights into the two languages have evolved as scholars have built on the work and research of others in the field. A bilingual glossary of linguistic terms is provided to facilitate discussion in either language. This second edition is thoroughly updated to incorporate insights and issues that have come to the fore from the explosion of research in the past 25 years in all of the areas covered by the book. It includes an expanded bibliography and index, and adds new exercises for student application and class discussion.Its approach remains broadly based however, in order to accommodate a range of areas and data rather than focusing narrowly on one single theory or research area, and it continues to emphasize implications for language teaching, translation, and other practical applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent for advanced students, too
As an "advanced" student of Spanish, I am finding this book extremely helpful, I just wish I had stumbled on it several years ago.There are some grammatical concepts that become much clearer when explained in English, and this book does that.Highly recommended.

An excellent choice for a bilingual approach
Spanish-English Contrasts is an excellent choice for teaching basic Spanish linguistics with the use of English linguistics as a basis.It is written in English which may make it inappropriate for some upper level Spanish classes/programs.It is easy to read and understand.It is very expansive and covers a lot of information in almost 400 pages.Some of it is less detailed that I would have liked, but it is good for use in a class where you want to cover all the bases in one semester or so.There are a lot of additions to this second edition.Overall, it is useful. ... Read more

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From the accusation of plagiarism in The Da Vinci Code, to the infamous hoaxer in the Yorkshire Ripper case, the use of linguistic evidence in court and the number of linguists called to act as expert witnesses in court trials has increased rapidly in the past fifteen years. An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics: Language in Evidence provides a timely and accessible introduction to this rapidly expanding subject.

Using knowledge and experience gained in legal settings – Malcolm Coulthard in his work as an expert witness and Alison Johnson in her work as a West Midlands police officer – the two authors combine an array of perspectives into a distinctly unified textbook, focusing throughout on evidence from real and often high profile cases including serial killer Harold Shipman, the Bridgewater Four and the Birmingham Six.

Divided into two sections, 'The Language of the Legal Process' and 'Language as Evidence', the book covers the key topics of the field. The first section looks at legal language, the structures of legal genres and the collection and testing of evidence from the initial police interview through to examination and cross-examination in the courtroom. The second section focuses on the role of the forensic linguist, the forensic phonetician and the document examiner, as well as examining in detail the linguistic investigation of authorship and plagiarism.

With research tasks, suggested reading and website references provided at the end of each chapter, An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics: Language in Evidence is the essential textbook for courses in forensic linguistics and language of the law.

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more