Book & Print in New Zealand


Book Description

A guide to print culture in Aotearoa, the impact of the book and other forms of print on New Zealand. This collection of essays by many contributors looks at the effect of print on Maori and their oral traditions, printing, publishing, bookselling, libraries, buying and collecting, readers and reading, awards, and the print culture of many other language groups in New Zealand.




English in Australia and New Zealand


Book Description

English in Australia and New Zealand combines both theory and description, and introduces the major theoretical and methodical issues in modern linguistic study. It also provides an overview of the structure and history of the English language in its many varieties, especially those of Australia and New Zealand. The emphasis is on English as it is used everyday. Almost all the examples are drawn from culinary texts, spoken and written. These include cooking books throughout the centuries, food and wine magazines, and books about food, health, diet and even etiquette. The book integrates a synchronic and diachronic approach. A description of each aspect of present-day English - be it vocabulary, sounds, or grammar - is followed by a discussion of its historical development. The approach is purposefully eclectic and draws upon many different traditions and areas within linguistics. Each chapter concludes with a summary of points to remember, as well as practical exercises and questions for discussion.




The Legacy of Guilt


Book Description

The archetypal story of Thomas Kendall, a self-torturing, struggling missionary in nineteenth century New Zealand, is also a remarkable history of cross-cultural experience. Posted to New Zealand in 1814, Kendall was immensely devout but entirely unprepared for dealing with Māori. He nonetheless helped produce the first Māori Grammar, but was hindered by rumours of an affair with a Māori chief’s daughter. Dismissed from his duties in 1823, he continued studying Māori culture until his death nearly a decade later. Long out of print, this work by a leading New Zealand historian tells an absorbing story of the difficulties and dangers of the evangelical mission.




The Best Books


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Handbook to Australasia


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The Cambridge Companion to English Dictionaries


Book Description

How did a single genre of text have the power to standardise the English language across time and region, rival the Bible in notions of authority, and challenge our understanding of objectivity, prescription, and description? Since the first monolingual dictionary appeared in 1604, the genre has sparked evolution, innovation, devotion, plagiarism, and controversy. This comprehensive volume presents an overview of essential issues pertaining to dictionary style and content and a fresh narrative of the development of English dictionaries throughout the centuries. Essays on the regional and global nature of English lexicography (dictionary making) explore its power in standardising varieties of English and defining nations seeking independence from the British Empire: from Canada to the Caribbean. Leading scholars and lexicographers historically contextualise an array of dictionaries and pose urgent theoretical and methodological questions relating to their role as tools of standardisation, prestige, power, education, literacy, and national identity.