| Reviews |
| - 'This is a textbook and a very good one...an easy, conversational style that makes the highly complex and intricate nature of language seem quite explicable.' - Steven Carroll The Age (Melbourne)
- 'An informative and highly readable overview of basic linguistic ideas and debates. Barry Blake succeeds in making complex concepts accessible to beginning students without talking down to them. If I hadn't retired last year, I'd very likely use the book myself as a text in the undergraduate-level introduction to linguistics.' - Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington and University of
British Columbia
- 'A stimulating introduction to linguistics and language study. All About Language is clearly written and contains a wealth of thought-provoking and interesting examples taken from English as well as from other languages, including signing. It has a nicely judged set of topics that cover an enormous range in a short space.' - Keith Brown, University of Cambridge
|
| Description | | - Crystal clear exposition combines with comprehensive coverage of the field
- Illustrated with the author's cartoons
- Full glossary of terms
- Further reading and problems at every stage
- Two-colour printing throughout
- Companion website
- Covers UK and US approaches to phonology
- Treats syntax in basic terms
- Covers current trends and issues, such as in-group talk
| In clear, congenial style Barry Blake explains how language works. He describes the make-up of words and how they're built from sounds and signs and put together in phrases and sentences. He examines the dynamics of conversation and the relations between the sound and meaning. He shows how languages help their users connect to each other and to the world, how they vary around the world, why
they never stop changing, and that no two people speak a language in the same way. He looks at how language is acquired by infant children, how it relates to thought, and its operations in the brain. He investigates current trends and issues such as the levelling of linguistic class differences and the rise of new secret or in-group languages such as argot and teenspeak. He describes the history
of writing from its origins to digital diffusion, and ends by looking at how language might have originated and then evolved among our distant hominid and primate ancestors.
Language is crucial to every aspect of our lives whether we're thinking, talking, or dreaming. Barry Blake reveals the wonders that lie beneath the surface of everyday communication, enriching his exposition with a unique
blend of anecdote and humour. His engaging guide is for everyone curious about language or who needs to know more about it. |
| Authors, editors,
and contributors |
Barry J. Blake, La Trobe University
|
The specification in this catalogue, including without
limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations,
and month of publication, was as accurate as
possible at the time the catalogue was compiled.
Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we
are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory.
Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
|
VIEW BASKET
