The Way of the Linguist
The Way of the Linguist

Author: Steve Kaufmann

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2005-11

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 1420873296

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The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey. It is now a cliché that the world is a smaller place. We think nothing of jumping on a plane to travel to another country or continent. The most exotic locations are now destinations for mass tourism. Small business people are dealing across frontiers and language barriers like never before. The Internet brings different languages and cultures to our finger-tips. English, the hybrid language of an island at the western extremity of Europe seems to have an unrivalled position as an international medium of communication. But historically periods of cultural and economic domination have never lasted forever. Do we not lose something by relying on the wide spread use of English rather than discovering other languages and cultures? As citizens of this shrunken world, would we not be better off if we were able to speak a few languages other than our own? The answer is obviously yes. Certainly Steve Kaufmann thinks so, and in his busy life as a diplomat and businessman he managed to learn to speak nine languages fluently and observe first hand some of the dominant cultures of Europe and Asia. Why do not more people do the same? In his book The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey, Steve offers some answers. Steve feels anyone can learn a language if they want to. He points out some of the obstacles that hold people back. Drawing on his adventures in Europe and Asia, as a student and businessman, he describes the rewards that come from knowing languages. He relates his evolution as a language learner, abroad and back in his native Canada and explains the kind of attitude that will enable others to achieve second language fluency. Many people have taken on the challenge of language learning but have been frustrated by their lack of success. This book offers detailed advice on the kind of study practices that will achieve language breakthroughs. Steve has developed a language learning system available online at: www.thelinguist.com.

The French Language Today
The French Language Today

Author: Adrian Battye

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-09-01

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 1136903356

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This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the French language from the perspective of modern linguistics. Placing French within its social and historical context, the authors highlight the complex, diverse aspects of the language in a lively and accessible way. A variety of topics is covered, including the distribution of French in the world, the historical development of standard French, the sound system of French, its sentence patterns, and its stylistic and geographical variations. Fully updated and revised, this new edition places a greater emphasis on sociolinguistics. To make the book more user-friendly, the following new features have been added: * a further reading guide at the end of each chapter * a glossary of linguistic terms * an expanded bibliography and index.

A Linguistic Handbook of French for Translators and Language Students
A Linguistic Handbook of French for Translators and Language Students

Author: Paul Boucher

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2018-04-03

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 902726418X

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A Linguistic Handbook of French for Translators and Language Students offers the reader an in-depth contrastive study of French and English based on recent theories of linguistics and discourse analysis. At the same time it is a practical manual for the advanced language student or the translator with dozens of exercises in analyzing and translating French along with detailed corrections. Organized in three sections – Structure, Perspective and Coherence – the handbook first explores French word formation and syntax, then moves on to the use of tense and aspect, illocution and speech styles in various text types. Finally, problems concerning textual coherence and cohesion in both languages are discussed: anaphora and ellipsis, relevance and equivalence and information structure. Each chapter is followed by a list of suggested readings for further discussion and a detailed glossary at the end of the book explains all technical terms used. The handbook is designed to be used either as a textbook or for individuals working at home.

Exploring the French Language
Exploring the French Language

Author: R. Anthony Lodge

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 9780340676622

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Do you know what 'verlan' or French 'backslang' is? Was President Mitterand 'câblé'? The French language is more than just a tool for communication; it has a crucial role to play in how native speakers of French think about the world and about themselves and their culture. This book helps students develop a systematic 'linguistic' approach to French. It covers the core topics, ranging from the structure and sounds of the language to discourse and everyday conversation. No previous knowledge of linguistics is assumed and a glossary of technical terms and many exercises and activities help reinforce key points. Students will find that their understanding and enjoyment of the French language is greatly enhanced by this book.

French Through Corpora
French Through Corpora

Author: Henry Tyne

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781443858311

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This book offers a series of studies that come together in their concern for furthering an understanding of the French language, of its uses, its forms, its variation, and its acquisition. Other than contributing to a general understanding of French, this book also addresses the use of corpora for the study of language and the links between tools, methods, analyses and applications. What data are used, and how? What are the underlying theoretical and/or methodological considerations? How have these changed our way of formulating linguistic descriptions? What are the implications for descriptive accounts of French today? What are the applications of corpus studies? These questions (and many more) are addressed here in a series of scholarly contributions grouped into four broad areas: diachrony, syntax, sociolinguistics, and the learning and teaching of French. The book provides an up-to-date and challenging account of French for researchers in French linguistics. It will also be suitable for use on post-graduate and some undergraduate courses, providing useful information not only for students and teachers of French, but also for language and linguistics students in general. Many of the issues addressed are not specific to the French language and can be accounted for within a more general area of reflection within linguistics on changing relations between data, theory and methods.

The Linguistic Heritage of Colonial Practice
The Linguistic Heritage of Colonial Practice

Author: Brigitte Weber

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2019-01-14

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 3110623714

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The contributions of this volume offer both a diachronic and synchronic approach to aspects relating to different areas of colonial life as for example colonial place-naming in a comparative perspective. They comprise topics of diverse interests within the field of language and colonialism and represent the linguistic fields of sociolinguistics, onomastics, historical linguistics, language contact, obsolescence convergence and divergence, (colonial) discourse, lexicography and creolistics.

Studies in French Applied Linguistics
Studies in French Applied Linguistics

Author: Dalila Ayoun

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 9027219826

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Studies in French Applied Linguistics invites the reader to adopt a broad perspective on applied linguistics, illustrating the fascinating multifaceted work researchers are conducted in so many various, inter-connected subfields. The five chapters of the first part are dedicated to the first and second language acquisition of French in various settings: First language acquisition by normal children from a generative perspective and by children with Specific Language Impairment; second language acquisition in Canadian immersion settings, from a neurolinguistic approach to phonology and natural language processing and CALL. The six chapters of the second part explore the contribution of French in various subfields of applied linguistics such as an anthropological approach to literacy issues in Guadeloupean Kréyòl, literacy issues in new technologies, phonological and lexical innovations in the banlieues, French in North Africa, language planning and policy in Quebec, as well as the emerging field of forensic linguistics from an historical perspective.

Principle and Practice in Applied Linguistics
Principle and Practice in Applied Linguistics

Author: H. G. Widdowson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1995-07-20

Total Pages: 452

ISBN-13: 9780194421485

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This volume provides a wide-ranging overview of the diverse issues in applied linguistics today. The contributors consider the relation of their own areas of enquiry both to professional practice and to the discipline as a whole.

The Practice of Language Rights in Canada
The Practice of Language Rights in Canada

Author: C. Michael MacMillan

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 1998-01-01

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9780802081155

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On what grounds should language rights be accorded in Canada, and to whom? This is the central question that is addressed in C. Michael MacMillan's book The Practice of Language Rights in Canada. The issue of language rights in Canada is one that is highly debated and discussed, partly because the basic underlying principles have been a neglected dimension in the debate. MacMillan examines the normative basis of language rights in Canadian public policy and public opinion. He argues that language rights policy should be founded upon the theoretical literature of human rights. Drawing on the philosophy behind human rights, the arguments for recognizing a right to language are considered, as well as the matter of whether such rights possess the essential features of established rights. Another model that is examined is the idea that rights are a reflection of the established values, attitudes, and practices of society. This analysis reveals that there is a significant gap between what a political theory of language rights would endorse and what garners support in public opinion. MacMillan also scrutinizes the federal and provincial contexts in the development of a language rights framework. From these explorations, a case is developed for a recognition of language rights that is consistent with the logic of human rights and that corresponds roughly with developing Canadian practice. The Practice of Language Rights in Canada is a unique contribution to the current literature not only because it conceives of language rights as a human right but also because it frames the whole debate about language rights in Canada as a question of values and entitlements.