In this Very Short Introduction, Peter Hainsworth and David Robey examine Italian literature from the Middle Ages to the present day, looking at themes and issues which have recurred throughout its history. The authors illuminate such topics as regional identities, political disunity, and the role of the national language and they cover a wide range of authors and works, including Dante, Petrarch, Manzoni, Montale, and Calvino.

Like is a ubiquitous feature of English with a deep history in the language, exhibiting regular and constrained variable grammars over time. This volume explores the various contexts of like, each of which contributes to the reality of contemporary vernaculars: its historical context, its developmental context, its social context, and its ideological context. The final chapter examines the ways in which these contexts overlap and inform current understanding of acquisition, structure, change, and embedding.

With the ever-changing climate of education around the globe, it is essential that educators stay abreast of the most updated teaching methods and applications. To do this, fostering teacher education programs that include innovative practices and initiatives within the field is imperative.
The Handbook of Research on Teacher Education and Professional Development investigates current initiatives and approaches in educational programs. Focusing on research studies and theoretical concepts on innovative projects related to teacher education and professional development programs, this book is a pivotal reference source for academics, professionals, students, practitioners, and researchers.

The aim of this book, first published in 1979, is to provide a sound basic introduction to the study of grammar within linguistics. The work concentrates primarily on the core of grammatical theory rather than a single narrow theoretical viewpoint. After introductory chapters on the study of language and language as a semiotic system, the precise tasks of grammatical theory are clearly outlined. The aims and problems of generative grammar are then described, and the importance of grammatical analysis is highlighted.

The Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) provides an accessible, authoritative and comprehensive introduction to the main theories, concepts, contexts and applications of this rapidly developing field of study.
Including 47 state-of-the art chapters from leading international scholars, the handbook covers key concepts, regional spread, linguistic features and communication processes, domains and functions, ELF in academia, ELF and pedagogy and future trends.
This handbook is key reading for all those engaged in the study and research of English as a lingua franca and world/global Englishes more broadly, within English language, applied linguistics, and education.