Structure of Language

Structure of Language

Author: Janet Townend

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2006-02-17

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13:

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This accessible text is split into 2 halves. Initially, Janet Townend takes the reader through the early development and the structure and usage of spoken English. In the second half Jean Walker explains the history and structure of written English, including word formation and grammar. It is unusual to find both aspects of this fascinating area of human activity combined in one volume. These insights form an essential foundation for teachers, student teachers, teacher trainers, and specialists in special needs and literacy. It will be of interest to all who speak and write, and are involved in helping others to do so. Janet Townend trained as a speech and language therapist and Jean Walker as an English teacher. Both are now specialist teachers and trainers in the field of dyslexia, literacy and language.


English Grammar Today with CD-ROM

English Grammar Today with CD-ROM

Author: Ronald Carter

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-04-07

Total Pages: 655

ISBN-13: 0521731755

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A major grammar reference book of modern English, specially written for intermediate learners of English. English Grammar Today is an indispensable reference guide to contemporary English grammar and usage. With extensive corpus research at its core, it provides over 500 entries organised into an easy-to-use A-Z structure. Authentic examples of written and spoken English place the grammar in context and the clear explanations make it ideal for intermediate learners of English at CEF levels B1-B2, including those preparing for IELTS or Cambridge English exams such as Preliminary and First. The book comes with a free CD-ROM that provides the book content and nearly 200 additional entries, plus audio recordings of all the examples and dialogues.


Word Frequencies in Written and Spoken English

Word Frequencies in Written and Spoken English

Author: Geoffrey Leech

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-11

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 1317882040

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Word Frequencies in Written and Spoken English is a landmark volume in the development of vocabulary frequency studies. Whereas previous books have in general given frequency information about the written language only, this book provides information on both speech and writing. It not only gives information about the language as a whole, but also about the differences between spoken and written English, and between different spoken and written varieties of the language. The frequencies are derived from a wide ranging and up-to-date corpus of English: the British National Corpus, which was compiled from over 4,000 written texts and spoken transcriptions representing the present day language in the UK. The book is based on a new version of the corpus (available from 2001) providing more accurate grammatical information, which is essential (for example) for distinguishing words like leaves (noun) and leaves (verb) with different meanings. The book begins with a general introduction, explaining why such information is important and highlighting interesting linguistic findings that emerge from the statistical analysis of the British National Corpus vocabulary. It also contains twenty four 'interest boxes' which highlight and comment on different aspects of frequency - for example, the most common colour words in English in order of frequency, and a comparison of male words (e.g. man) and female words (e.g. woman) in terms of their frequency.


Do You Speak American?

Do You Speak American?

Author: Robert Macneil

Publisher: Nan A. Talese

Published: 2007-12-18

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0307423573

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Is American English in decline? Are regional dialects dying out? Is there a difference between men and women in how they adapt to linguistic variations? These questions, and more, about our language catapulted Robert MacNeil and William Cran—the authors (with Robert McCrum) of the language classic The Story of English—across the country in search of the answers. Do You Speak American? is the tale of their discoveries, which provocatively show how the standard for American English—if a standard exists—is changing quickly and dramatically. On a journey that takes them from the Northeast, through Appalachia and the Deep South, and west to California, the authors observe everyday verbal interactions and in a host of interviews with native speakers glean the linguistic quirks and traditions characteristic of each area. While examining the histories and controversies surrounding both written and spoken American English, they address anxieties and assumptions that, when explored, are highly emotional, such as the growing influence of Spanish as a threat to American English and the special treatment of African-American vernacular English. And, challenging the purists who think grammatical standards are in serious deterioration and that media saturation of our culture is homogenizing our speech, they surprise us with unpredictable responses. With insight and wit, MacNeil and Cran bring us a compelling book that is at once a celebration and a potent study of our singular language. Each wave of immigration has brought new words to enrich the American language. Do you recognize the origin of 1. blunderbuss, sleigh, stoop, coleslaw, boss, waffle? Or 2. dumb, ouch, shyster, check, kaput, scram, bummer? Or 3. phooey, pastrami, glitch, kibbitz, schnozzle? Or 4. broccoli, espresso, pizza, pasta, macaroni, radio? Or 5. smithereens, lollapalooza, speakeasy, hooligan? Or 6. vamoose, chaps, stampede, mustang, ranch, corral? 1. Dutch 2. German 3. Yiddish 4. Italian 5. Irish 6. Spanish


Linguistic Choice Across Genres

Linguistic Choice Across Genres

Author: Antonia Sánchez Macarro

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1998-01-01

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 9027236631

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This book, based on revised papers originally delivered at the VII International Systemic Functional Workshop in Valencia in 1995, explores some of the choices open to speakers and writers for the expression of meaning in different socio-cultural contexts. Many of the papers draw their inspiration from models of language developed by Michael Halliday and in particular recent theories of variation in relation to texts and genres explored by Halliday and his followers. There is an emphasis on the interdependence and interaction of linguistic choices across sentence boundaries and speaking turns, and also a consistent focus across many papers on the importance of lexicogrammar in the construction of texts. Several papers examine the differences between native-speaker and non-native-speaker choices in speech and writing. The volume also contributes to our understanding of differences and similarities between spoken and written varieties of English and of the central significance of interpersonal functions in the communication of messages. By drawing on naturally-occurring data collected on a range of genres as diverse as philosophy articles, scientific research papers, emergency telephone calls, and casual conversation, contributors both refine descriptions of the relations between text and context and offer numerous new insights and analyses.


Describing Spoken English

Describing Spoken English

Author: Charles W. Kreidler

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2002-03-11

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 113474708X

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Describing Spoken English provides a practical and descriptive introduction to the pronunciation of contemporary English. It presumes no prior knowledge of phonetics and phonology. Charles Kreidler describes the principal varieties of English in the world today. Whilst concentrating on the phonological elements they share, the author sets out specific differences as minor variations on a theme. Although theoretically orientated towards generative phonology, theory is minimal and the book is clear, comprehensive and accessible to undergraduate and postgraduate students of linguistics and English Language. Numerous exercises are included to encourage further study.


English as a Global Language

English as a Global Language

Author: David Crystal

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-03-29

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1107611806

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Written in a detailed and fascinating manner, this book is ideal for general readers interested in the English language.