Roots of language
Roots of language

Author: Derek Bickerton

Publisher: Language Science Press

Published: 2016-02-05

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 3946234089

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Roots of language was originally published in 1981 by Karoma Press (Ann Arbor). It was the first work to systematically develop a theory first suggested by Coelho in the late nineteenth century: that the creation of creole languages somehow reflected universal properties of language. The book also proposed that the same set of properties would be found to emerge in normal first-language acquisition and must have emerged in the original evolution of language. These proposals, some of which were elaborated in an article in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1984), were immediately controversial and gave rise to a great deal of subsequent research in creoles, much of it aimed at rebutting the theory. The book also served to legitimize and stimulate research in language evolution, a topic regarded as off-limits by linguists for over a century. The present edition contains a foreword by the author bringing the theory up to date; a fuller exposition of many of its aspects can be found in the author's most recent work, More than nature needs (Harvard University Press, 2014).

On Language
On Language

Author: Noam Chomsky

Publisher: The New Press

Published: 2017-02-07

Total Pages: 498

ISBN-13: 1595587616

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The two most popular titles by the noted linguist and critic in one volume—an ideal introduction to his work. On Language features some of Noam Chomsky’s most informal and highly accessible work. In Part I, Language and Responsibility, Chomsky presents a fascinating self-portrait of his political, moral, and linguistic thinking. In Part II, Reflections on Language, Chomsky explores the more general implications of the study of language and offers incisive analyses of the controversies among psychologists, philosophers, and linguists over fundamental questions of language. “Language and Responsibility is a well-organized, clearly written and comprehensive introduction to Chomsky’s thought.” —The New York Times Book Review “Language and Responsibility brings together in one readable volume Chomsky’s positions on issues ranging from politics and philosophy of science to recent advances in linguistic theory. . . . The clarity of presentation at times approaches that of Bertrand Russell in his political and more popular philosophical essays.” —Contemporary Psychology “Reflections on Language is profoundly satisfying and impressive. It is the clearest and most developed account of the case of universal grammar and of the relations between his theory of language and the innate faculties of mind responsible for language acquisition and use.” —Patrick Flanagan

Authority in Language
Authority in Language

Author: Lesley Milroy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2002-09-11

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 1134687583

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This influential and widely used book has been extensively revised and includes a new chapter on linguistic discrimination on the basis of class, race and ethnicity.

The History of Linguistics in the Classical Period
The History of Linguistics in the Classical Period

Author: Daniel J. Taylor

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 9027245290

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The study of Greek and Roman language science has figured prominently in the remarkable renascence of interest in the history of linguistics of the last twenty years. We know more now than we did several decades ago about what the Greeks and Romans were thinking, writing, and doing in matters grammatical, and the scholars who contribute to this volume are among the ones who are responsible for that happy circumstance. The contents of this book bear ample testimony to the enhanced and enlarged understanding and appreciation of ancient grammar that we now enjoy. Each article in this volume has something new to say about the history of linguistics in the classical period, and each author insists that we need to return to ancient texts time and time again and that we need to read them even more carefully. The rethinking so conspicuous in much of the recent scholarship in this field is pointing in the direction of a new historiographical model of Greek and Latin linguistic science. The text of this volume has also been published in "Historiographia Linguistica "XIII:2/3

Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Language

Author: Colin McGinn

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2015-01-23

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0262323664

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An introduction to philosophy of language through systematic and accessible explanations of ten classic texts by such thinkers as Frege, Kripke, Russell, and Putnam. Many beginning students in philosophy of language find themselves grappling with dense and difficult texts not easily understood by someone new to the field. This book offers an introduction to philosophy of language by explaining ten classic, often anthologized, texts. Accessible and thorough, written with a unique combination of informality and careful formulation, the book addresses sense and reference, proper names, definite descriptions, indexicals, the definition of truth, truth and meaning, and the nature of speaker meaning, as addressed by Frege, Kripke, Russell, Donnellan, Kaplan, Evans, Putnam, Tarski, Davidson, and Grice. The explanations aim to be as simple as possible without sacrificing accuracy; critical assessments are included with the exposition in order to stimulate further thought and discussion. Philosophy of Language will be an essential resource for undergraduates in a typical philosophy of language course or for graduate students with no background in the field. It can be used in conjunction with an anthology of classic texts, sparing the instructor much arduous exegesis. Contents Frege on Sense and Reference • Kripke on Names • Russell on Definite Descriptions • Donnellan's Distinction • Kaplan on Demonstratives • Evans on Understanding Demonstratives • Putnam on Semantic Externalism • Tarski's Theory of Truth • Davidson's Semantics for Natural Language • Grice's Theory of Speaker Meaning

Second Language Acquisition
Second Language Acquisition

Author: Susan M. Gass

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 508

ISBN-13: 9780805835281

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This book is a thorough revision of the highly successful text first published in 1994. The authors retain the multidisciplinary approach that presents research from linguistics, sociology, psychology, and education, in a format designed for use in an introductory course for undergraduate or graduate students. The research is updated throughout and there are new sections and chapters in this second edition as well. New chapters cover child language acquisition (first and second), Universal Grammar, and instructed language learning; new sections address issues, such as what data analysis doesn't show, replication of research findings, interlanguage transfer (multilingual acquisition and transfer), the aspect hypothesis, general nativism, connectionist approaches, and implicit/explicit knowledge. Major updates include nonlanguage influences and the lexicon. The workbook, Second Language Learning Data Analysis, Second Edition, makes an ideal accompaniment to the text.

The Empirical Base of Linguistics
The Empirical Base of Linguistics

Author: Carson T. Schutze

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1996-05-15

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 9780226741543

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He then assesses the status of judgments as reliable indicators of a speaker's grammar.

Language Death
Language Death

Author: David Crystal

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-04-29

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9780521012713

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The rapid endangerment and death of many minority languages across the world is a matter of widespread concern, not only among linguists and anthropologists but among all concerned with issues of cultural identity in an increasingly globalized culture. By some counts, only 600 of the 6,000 or so languages in the world are 'safe' from the threat of extinction. A leading commentator and popular writer on language issues, David Crystal asks the fundamental question, 'Why is language death so important?', reviews the reasons for the current crisis, and investigates what is being done to reduce its impact. This 2002 book contains not only intelligent argument, but moving descriptions of the decline and demise of particular languages, and practical advice for anyone interested in pursuing the subject further.

On a law of Indo-European word order
On a law of Indo-European word order

Author: Jacob Wackernagel

Publisher: Language Science Press

Published:

Total Pages: 454

ISBN-13: 3961102716

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Jacob Wackernagel’s 1892 essay on second-position enclitics in the Indo-European languages has long been hailed as groundbreaking in both historical and theoretical linguistics. Until now, however, it has only been available in the original German. This book provides a full translation into English, including glossed and translated examples from several early Indo-European languages and varieties and full bibliographical details of the references drawn upon, as well as a new edition of the German original. It should be of interest to researchers in historical and Indo-European linguistics and in general linguistics working on the interfaces between morphology, prosody and syntax.