Changes in Meaning and Function


Book Description

Diachronic linguistics has been experiencing a strong revival during the last few decades, since an increasing number of researchers have assumed that evolutionary and historical factors must be considered to properly understand how natural languages work. This book offers new data and insights on some of the research lines which are currently being developed within the framework of diachronic language research. The papers brought together in this volume are characterized both by their originality and by their methodological diversity; the reader will thus find herein theoretical as well as empirical works, undertaken from various perspectives of analysis (diachronic cognitive semantics, grammaticalization theory, discursive traditions, historical phraseology, etc.). The final outcome is an eclectic volume which offers valuable information for every reader, regardless of whether they are experienced linguists or junior researchers willing to know the latest epistemological advances in this discipline.





Book Description




Navigating Life Transitions for Meaning


Book Description

Navigating Life Transitions for Meaning explores the central human motivation of meaning making, and its counterpart, meaning disruption. The book describes different types of specific transitions, details how specific transitions affect an individual differently, and provides appropriate clinical approaches. The book examines the effects of life transitions on the component parts of meaning in life, including making sense (coherence), driving life goals (purpose), significance (mattering), and continuity. The book covers a range of transitions, including developmental (e.g., adolescence to adulthood), personal (e.g., illness onset, becoming a parent, and bereavement), and career (e.g., military deployment, downshifting, and retiring). Life transitions are experienced by all persons, and the influence of those transitions are tremendous. It is essential for clinicians to understand how transitions can disrupt life and how to help clients successfully navigate these changes. - Covers cultural transitions, such as immigration and religious conversion - Examines health transitions, such as cancer survivorship and acquired disability - Uses a positive psychology framework to understand transitions - Includes bulleted 'take-away' summaries of key points in each chapter - Provides clinical applications of theory to practice




A Concise Introduction to Linguistics


Book Description

Provides a linguistic foundation for students of all majors Assisted by numerous pedagogical aids, A Concise Introduction to Linguistics, 4/e explains all concepts in a systematic way making complex linguistic topics as easy to learn as possible. This introductory title covers the core topics of linguistics, providing the information and concepts that will allow students to understand more detailed and advanced treatments of linguistics. This student-friendly and well-balanced overview of the field of introductory linguistics pays special attention to linguistic anthropology and reveals the main contributions of linguistics to the study of human communication and how issues of culture are relevant. Its workbook format contains well-constructed exercises in every chapter that allow students to practice key concepts.




Social Meaning and Linguistic Variation


Book Description

The 'third wave' of variation study, spearheaded by the sociolinguist Penelope Eckert, places its focus on social meaning, or the inferences that can be drawn about speakers based on how they talk. While social meaning has always been a concern of modern sociolinguistics, its aims and assumptions have not been explicitly spelled out until now. This pioneering book provides a comprehensive overview of the central tenets of variation study, examining several components of dialects, and considering language use in a wide variety of cultural and linguistic contexts. Each chapter, written by a leader in the field, posits a unique theoretical claim about social meaning and presents new empirical data to shed light on the topic at hand. The volume makes a case for why attending to social meaning is vital to the study of variation while also providing a foundation from which variationists can productively engage with social meaning.




Understanding Semantics


Book Description

This series provides approachable, yet authoritative, introductions to all the major topics in linguistics. Ideal for students with little or no prior knowledge of linguistics, each book carefully explains the basics, emphasising understanding of the essential notions rather than arguing for a particular theoretical position. Understanding Semantics offers a complete introduction to linguistic semantics. The book takes a step-by-step approach, starting with the basic concepts and moving through the central questions to examine the methods and results of the science of linguistic meaning. Understanding Semantics unites the treatment of a broad scale of phenomena using data from different languages with a thorough investigation of major theoretical perspectives. It leads the reader from their intuitive knowledge of meaning to a deeper understanding of the use of scientific reasoning in the study of language as a communicative tool, of the nature of linguistic meaning, and of the scope and limitations of linguistic semantics. Ideal as a first textbook in semantics for undergraduate students of linguistics, this book is also recommended for students of literature, philosophy, psychology and cognitive science.




The English Binomial Noun Phrase


Book Description

Taking a multi-theoretical approach, this book offers the first in-depth study of the function and development of evaluative of-binomials.







The English Binomial Noun Phrase


Book Description

The binomial noun phrase, or of-binomial, is an important phenomenon in the English language. Defined as a noun phrase that contains two related nouns, linked by the preposition of, examples include a hell of a day and a beast of a storm. This pioneering book provides the first extensive study of the evaluative binominal noun phrases (EBNP) in English, exploring the syntactic rules that govern them, and the (functional) semantic and pragmatic links between the two nouns. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, corpus data, and two different theoretical approaches (Construction Grammar and Functional Discourse Grammar), it argues that the EBNP now functions as a stage in a grammaticalization path that begins with a prototypical N+PP construction, continues with the head-classifier, and ends with two new of-binominal constructions: the evaluative modifier and binominal intensifier. Comprehensive in its scope, it is essential reading for researchers in syntax, semantics, and English corpus linguistics.




How To Understand Native English Speakers?


Book Description

Overview Why is spoken English so difficult to understand? Can you understand your English teacher but not understand most native speakers? Have you ever felt frustrated listening to English because you couldn’t understand? Many English learners pronounce each word clearly, to get the pronunciation perfect – but native English speakers don’t do this. Natural spoken English contains reductions – sounds that change and disappear when spoken at normal speed. This sometimes makes spoken English hard for students to understand. Doing English pronunciation practice with reductions will help you speak more naturally AND understand spoken English more easily. Spoken English and written English are really different. To learn about the many differences, check out this book where I talk about these differences and give you examples to help you understand spoken English. This Guide will help you understand English as it is spoken by native speakers. This book is intended for TOEFL students. Descripción general ¿Por qué el inglés hablado es tan difícil de entender? ¿Puedes entender a tu profesor de inglés pero no entender a la mayoría de los hablantes nativos? ¿Alguna vez te has sentido frustrado al escuchar inglés porque no podías entenderlo? Muchos estudiantes de inglés pronuncian cada palabra con claridad para lograr una pronunciación perfecta, pero los hablantes nativos de inglés no hacen esto. Hacer práctica de pronunciación en inglés con reducciones te ayudará a hablar con mayor naturalidad Y a comprender el inglés hablado con mayor facilidad. El inglés hablado y el inglés escrito son realmente diferentes. Para conocer las muchas diferencias, consulte este libro donde hablo sobre estas diferencias y le doy ejemplos para ayudarle a comprender el inglés hablado. Esta guía le ayudará a comprender el inglés tal como lo hablan hablantes nativos. Este libro está destinado a estudiantes de TOEFL. palabras clave: TOEFL, IELTS, dominio del inglês.