This compact dictionary and phrasebook features a concise, easy-to-use grammar guide, a pronunciation table, and a handy reference section that provides the reader with the basics of the Finnish language. Also included is an introduction to the country's history as well as useful tips and practical information on how to navigate one's way through the streets, shops and restaurants of Finland.
This handbook addresses words in all their multifarious aspects and brings together scholars from every relevant discipline to do so. The many subjects covered include word frequencies; sounds and sound symbolism; the structure of words; taboo words; lexical borrowing; words in dictionaries and thesauri; word origins and change; place and personal names; nicknames; taxonomies; word acquisition and bilingualism; words in the mind; word disorders; and word games, puns, and puzzles. Words are the most basic of all linguistic units, the aspect of language of which everyone is likely to be most conscious. A 'new' word that makes it into the OED is prime news; when baby says its first word its parents reckon it has started to speak; knowing a language is often taken to mean knowing its words; and languages are seen to be related by the similarities between their words. Up to the twentieth century linguistic description was mainly an account of words and all the current subdivisions of linguistics have something to say about them. A notable feature of human languages is the sheer vastness of their word inventories, and scholars and writers have sometimes deliberately increased the richness of their languages by coining or importing new items into their word-hoards. The book presents scholarship and research in a manner that meets the interests of students and professionals and satisfies the curiosity of the educated reader.
This volume considers the linguistic borders between languages and dialects, as well as the administrative, cultural and mental borders that reflect or affect linguistic ones; it comprises eight articles examining the mental borders between dialects, dialect continua and areas of mixed dialect, language ideologies, language mixing and contact-induced language change. The book opens with Dennis R. Preston’s review article on perceptual dialectology, showing how this field of study provides insights on laymen’s perceptions about dialect boundaries, and how such perceptions explain regional and social variation. Johanna Laakso problematizes the common notion of languages as having clear-cut boundaries and stresses the artificialness and conventionality of linguistic borders. Vesa Koivisto introduces the Border Karelian dialects as an example of language and dialect mixing. Marjatta Palander and Helka Riionheimo’s article examines the mental boundaries between Finnish and Karelian, demonstrated by the informants when recalling their fading memories of a lost mother tongue. Niina Kunnas focuses on how speakers of White Sea Karelian perceive the boundaries between their language and other varieties. Within the framework of language ideology, Tamás Péter Szabó highlights the ways in which linguistic borders are interactionally (co)constructed in the school environment in Hungary and Finland. Anna-Riitta Lindgren and Leena Niiranen present a contact-linguistic study investigating the vocabulary of Kven, a variety lying on the fuzzy boundary of a language and a dialect. Finally, Vesa Jarva and Jenni Mikkonen approach demographically manifested linguistic boundaries by examining the Old Helsinki slang, a mixture of lexical features derived from Finnish and Swedish. Together, the articles paint a picture of a multidimensional, multilingual, variable and ever-changing linguistic reality where diverse borders, boundaries and barriers meet, intertwine and cross each other. As a whole, the articles also seek to cross disciplinary and methodological boundaries and present new perspectives on earlier studies.
The field of lexicography is undergoing a major revolution. The rapid replacement of the traditional paper dictionary by electronic dictionaries opens up exciting possibilities but also constitutes a major challenge to the field. The eLexicography in the 21st Century: New Challenges, New Applications conference organized by the Centre for English Corpus Linguistics of the Université catholique de Louvain in October 2009 aimed to bring together the many researchers around the world who are working in the fast developing field of electronic lexicography and to act as a showcase for the latest lexicographic developments and software solutions in the field. The conference attracted both academics and industrial partners from 30 different countries who presented electronic dictionary projects dealing with no less than 22 languages. The resulting proceedings volume bears witness to the tremendous vitality and diversity of research in the field. The volume covers a wide range span of topics, including: -the use of language resources for lexicographic purposes, in the form of lexical databases like WordNet or corpora of different types - innovative changes to the dictionary structure afforded by the electronic medium, in particular multiple access routes and efficient integration of phraseology -specialised dictionaries (e.g. SMS dictionaries, sign language dictionaries) -automated customisation of dictionaries in function of users' needs -exploitation of Natural Language Processing tools - integration of electronic dictionaries into language learning and teaching
This important text provides a general overview of the methods and theories used in the broad domain of bilingualism. The unique interdisciplinary approach, which is reflected in the various topics covered, gives students a global picture of the field. Topics range from early childhood intellectual development to educational and social-cognitive challenges to the maturing bilingual brain. Important developing areas such as cognitive aging, creativity, the social and cultural context perspective, communication disorders and sentence processing are also covered within the volume. This text is aimed towards undergraduate courses and graduate courses in psycholinguistics, especially those with an emphasis on bilingualism or second language learning.
The TPS Frequency Dictionary of Mandarin Chinese is not just another character frequency based dictionary. It has been designed to provide students with a guide for learning new characters, words, and phrases gradually, building upon characters already familiar. The entries have been arranged according to a Triple Progression System in which words are grouped first by character frequency, then by word frequency, and filtered so that new words and phrases appear only after all of their component characters have been introduced.
In the study of word formation, the focus has often been on generating the form. In this book, the semantic aspect of the formation of new words is central. It is viewed from the perspectives of word formation rules and of lexicalization. An extensive introduction gives a historical overview of the study of the semantics of word formation and lexicalization, explaining how the different theoretical frameworks used in the contributions relate to each other. Each chapter then concentrates on a specific question about a theoretical concept or a word formation process in a particular language and adopts a theoretical framework that is appropriate to the study of this question. From general theoretical concepts of productivity and lexicalization, the focus moves to terminology, compounding, and derivation. Theoretical frameworks discussed include Jackendoff's Conceptual Structure, Langacker's Cognitive Grammar, Lieber's lexical semantic approach to word formation, Pustejovsky's Generative Lexicon, Beard's Lexeme-Morpheme-Base Morphology, The onomasiological approach to terminology and word formation.
Do you want to communicate easily and freely in Finnish? Master Finnish grammar and broaden your vocabulary with your very own Finnish Tutor. This contemporary interactive workbook features 200 activities across a range of grammar and vocabulary points with clear goals, concise explanations, and real-world tasks. By studying and practicing Finnish grammar you'll understand how the language really works and be able to speak Finnish with clarity and ease. What will I learn? The Finnish Tutor: Grammar and Vocabulary Workbook covers a comprehensive range of the most useful and frequent grammar and vocabulary in Finnish. You can follow along unit by unit, or dip in and dip out to address your weak areas. As you progress, you will be introduced to new vocabulary and combine it with the grammar to complete extensive exercises. You will then practice the language through authentic reading and writing practice. You will achieve a solid upper intermediate level* of Finnish grammar. Is this course for me? The Finnish Tutor: Grammar and Vocabulary Workbook can be used as a standalone course or as a complement to any other Finnish course. It offers extensive practice and review of essential grammar points and vocabulary and skills building. The personal tutor element points out exceptions and gives tips to really help you perfect your Finnish. What do I get? This Finnish workbook offers a range of clear and effective learning features: -200 activities across a range of grammar and vocabulary points -Unique visuals and infographics for extra context and practice -Personal tutor hints and tips to help you to understand language rules and culture points -Learn to learn section offers tips and advice on how to be a good language learner 20 short learning units each contain: -communication goals to guide your studies -grammar explanations with extensive exercises -vocabulary presentations and activities -reading and writing sections to consolidate your learning *This workbook maps from Novice High to Advanced Mid level proficiency of ACTFL (American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages) and from A2 Beginner to B2 Upper Intermediate level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) guidelines. What other courses are available? For further study and practice, see Complete Finnish: Teach Yourself (ISBN 9781444195224). Rely on Teach Yourself, trusted by language learners for over 75 years.
