This is the first book devoted entirely to the history of compound words in Spanish. Based on data obtained from Spanish dictionaries and databases of the past thousand years, it documents the evolution of the major compounding patterns of the language. It analyzes the structural, semantic, and orthographic features of each compound type, and also provides a description of its Latin antecedents, early attestations, and relative frequency and productivity over the centuries. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data shows that although most compound types have survived, they have undergone changes in word order and relative frequency. Moreover, the book shows that the evolution of compounding in Spanish may be accounted for by processes of language acquisition in children. This book, which includes all the data in chronological and alphabetical order, will be a valuable resource for morphologists, Romance linguists, and historical linguists more generally.
Have an interest in words? From the meaning of prefixes and suffixes to word origins and trivia, this book can help you build your vocabulary Someone just called you captious. Should you be flattered? Considering your extreme lactose intolerance, is it a good idea to order veau au béchamel from a French menu? Calumny is to slander as obloquy is to a) flattery, b) sermon, or c) invective? You've just heard that your new boss is a real martinet. Should you be worried or excited about this new addition to your workplace? Your partner says you have no élan; does that mean you're all out of yogurt? Starting to wish you'd paid more attention in English class? Don't worry, it's never too late to develop a million-dollar vocabulary—and Vocabulary For Dummies offers you a fast, fun, and easy way to do it. Whether you're preparing for standardized tests, or you want to feel more knowledgeable at work or more comfortable in social situations, this book is for you. In no time you'll: Dramatically expand your vocabulary Speak with style Write with panache Make a better impression at work or school Dine out with confidence Have the right words for formal occasions and ethnic events Get more out of what you read Vocabulary For Dummies doesn't overwhelm you with endless word lists. Instead, it gives you a complete vocabulary-building program that familiarizes you with words from all areas of life as they're used in context—from bar mitzvahs to business meetings, PCs to politics—with a host of fun features, including: Word tables organized by common features, such as language of origin, professional or social contexts, similarities, and more Sample conversations that incorporate new terms and define related ones Before-and-After examples that show how to replace old, general terms with new, specific vocabulary Pointers that reinforce understanding with examples of correct and incorrect usage Chapters on terms from finance, law, medicine, eating and shopping, history and mythology, various languages, and more Vocabulary For Dummies makes it easier than ever for you to learn difficult words that impress your friends and coworkers. Grab your own copy and get ahead at school, at work, and in life.
This book discusses the nature and definition of what a word is in Linguistics. This is not an easy task since the term subsumes a wide range of phenomena explored from an even wider array of perspectives. Although words are the most accessible linguistic units from the speaker’s introspection viewpoint, they are, at the same time, an incredibly elusive reality for the linguist. Issues such as their definition, theoretical status, limits, characteristics, and psycholinguistic reality are still controversial and open for debate. This book offers an up-to-date overview of the latest discussions on the nature of word in Modern Linguistics. It gathers together under a single collective volume different views of what a word is from a wide range of diverse methodological and theoretical linguistic frameworks, such as phonological theory, linguistic typology, lexical generative morphology, generative syntax, cognitive grammar, and construction grammar. Despite their different backgrounds, all these papers are geared towards the same goal: to offer a detailed account of what a word is in their respective fields. All in all, this collection of papers offers different perspectives that will contribute to provide some answers to the myriad of questions that a simple phrase such as to be or not to be a Word brings to the fore.
Both compounds and multi-word expressions are complex lexical units, made up of at least two constituents. The most basic difference is that the former are morphological objects and the latter result from syntactic processes. However, the exact demarcation between compounds and multi-word expressions differs greatly from language to language and is often a matter of debate in and across languages. Similarly debated is whether and how these two different kinds of units complement or compete with each other. The volume presents an overview of compounds and multi-word expressions in a variety of European languages. Central questions that are discussed for each language concern the formal distinction between compounds and multi-word expressions, their formation and their status in lexicon and grammar. The volume contains chapters on German, English, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Finnish, and Hungarian as well as a contrastive overview with a focus on German. It brings together insights from word-formation theory, phraseology and theory of grammar and aims to contribute to the understanding of the lexicon, both from a language-specific and cross-linguistic perspective.
Reflecting the growth and increasing global importance of the Spanish language, The Handbook of Hispanic Linguistics brings together a team of renowned Spanish linguistics scholars to explore both applied and theoretical work in this field. Features 41 newly-written essays contributed by leading language scholars that shed new light on the growth and significance of the Spanish language Combines current applied and theoretical research results in the field of Spanish linguistics Explores all facets relating to the origins, evolution, and geographical variations of the Spanish language Examines topics including second language learning, Spanish in the classroom, immigration, heritage languages, and bilingualism
Over the last decades, it has been hotly debated whether and how compounds, i.e. word-formations, and phrases differ from each other. The book discusses this issue by investigating compounds and phrases from a structural, semantic-functional and, crucially, cognitive perspective. The analysis focuses on compounds and phrases that are composed of either an adjective and a noun or two nouns in German, French and English. Having distinguished compounds from phrases on structural and semantic-functional grounds, the author claims that compounds are by their nature more appropriate to be stored in the mental lexicon than phrases and supports his argument with empirical evidence from new psycholinguistic studies. In sum, the book maintains the separation between compounds and phrases and reflects upon its cognitive consequences.
Foundations of Bilingual Memory provides a valuable update to the field of bilingual memory and offers a new psychological perspective on how the bilingual mind encodes, stores, and retrieves information. This volume emphasizes theoretical issues, such as classic memory approaches, Compound-Coordinate Bilingualism, Bilingual Dual Coding Theory, and Working Memory, about which relatively little has been written in the bilingual domain. Also covered are: • The neuropsychology of bilingual memory • Applied issues (such as false memories and bilingualism, emotion and memory) • Empirical findings in support of the uniqueness of the different memory systems of the bilingual individual • Connectionist models of bilingualism The volume represents the first book of its kind, in stressing a memory perspective with regards to bilingual speakers. It can serve as an advanced text for both undergraduate and graduate level students and it will be of great interest to the growing number of bilingual teachers and university classes interested in understanding the bilingual mind, as well as in preparing teachers to work with the bilingual individual.
There has not been conducted much research in religious studies and (linguistic) anthropology analysing Protestant missionary linguistic translations. Contemporary Protestant missionary linguists employ grammars, dictionaries, literacy campaigns, and translations of the Bible (in particular the New Testament) in order to convert local cultures. The North American institutions SIL and Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) are one of the greatest scientific-evangelical missionary enterprises in the world. The ultimate objective is to translate the Bible to every language. The author has undertaken systematic research, employing comparative linguistic methodology and field interviews, for a history-of-ideas/religions and epistemologies explication of translated SIL missionary linguistic New Testaments and its premeditated impact upon religions, languages, sociopolitical institutions, and cultures. In addition to taking into account the history of missionary linguistics in America and theological principles of SIL/WBT, the author has examined the intended cultural transformative effects of Bible translations upon cognitive and linguistic systems. A theoretical analytic model of conversion and translation has been put forward for comparative research of religion, ideology, and knowledge systems.
