The five-minute linguist : bite-sized essays on language and languages
2012
Book
The Five-Minute Linguist has been a popular introduction to the subject of language because it is succinct, clear, accurate, -- and fun to read. Now in its second edition, updated and expanded, the book has been warmly received by readers across the globe because it offers quick and reliable answers to questions about language that most of us have, such as: How many languages are there? What was the first language? What causes foreign accents? Are dialects dying? The book is the work of experts, authoritative and full of facts, but not technical or aimed at an audience of scholars. It is used by beginning students of linguistics and anthropology, and has broad appeal for general readers, people who read for enjoyment as well as knowledge. It has a conversational style that feels more like a series of fireside chats than a college textbook, because it started life as a series of five-minute radio broadcasts. Its chapters are short, suitable for browsing or reading on the run. But although it is intentionally light in tone, the book is full of up-to-date information, written by a cross-section of leading linguists in the U.S. and abroad. The second edition of the book was produced under the sponsorship of the Linguistic Society of America and the (U.S.) National Museum of Language.
Main title:
The five-minute linguist : bite-sized essays on language and languages / edited by E.M. Rickerson and Barry Hilton.
Author:
Edition:
2nd ed.
Imprint:
Sheffield ; Bristol, CT : Equinox Pub., 2012.
Collation:
xv, 303 p. ; 23 cm.
Variant title:
Cover title: 5 minute linguist
Notes:
Previous ed.: 2006.Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Partial contents: Machine generated contents note: 1.Why learn about language? / Robert Rodman -- 2.You're a linguist? How many languages do you speak? / Paul Chapin -- 3.How many languages are there in the world? / M. Paul Lewis -- 4.What's the difference between dialects and languages? / G. Tucker Childs -- 5.What was the original language? / Barry Hilton -- 6.Do all languages come from the same source? / Allan R. Bomhard -- 7.What language did Adam and Eve speak? / E. M. Rickerson -- 8.Do languages have to change? / John McWhorter -- 9.What are lingua francas? / Nicholas Ostler -- 10.Isn't Pidgin English just bad English? / John M. Lipski -- 11.How many kinds of writing systems are there? / Peter T. Daniels -- 12.Where did writing come from? / Peter T. Daniels -- 13.Where does grammar come from? / Joan Bybee -- 14.Do all languages have the same grammar? / Mark C. Baker -- 15.How do babies learn their mother tongue? / Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek -- 16.Do animals use language? / Donna Jo Napoli --
ISBN:
1908049944 (hb)9781908049490 (pb)1908049499 (pb)9781908049940 (hb)
Dewey class:
400
LC class:
P107
Language:
English
Added title:
BRN:
42786
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathleen Syme Carlton | -Literature | LITER 400 FIVE | Available |
| Library at the Dock | -Literature | LITER 400 FIVE | Available |