* The first pragmatically oriented study of the language of fictional texts.
* Introduces a range of pragmatic theories and offers a range of approaches that can be applied to texts.
* Includes examples from literary texts, predominantly from the twentieth century - unlike many works on pragmatics which use invented examples.
This book addresses the question: why do sound changes happen when and where they do? Jeremy Smith discusses the origins of a series of sound changes in English. He relates his arguments to larger questions about the nature of explanation in history and historical linguistics, and examines the interplay between sound change and social change. Drawing on the latest research in the linguistics and history he shows how insights in one field illuminate the other.
Happiness: The Science behind Your Smile by Daniel Nettle What exactly is happiness? Can we measure
it? Why are some people happy and others not? And is there a drug that
could eliminate all unhappiness? People all over the world, and
throughout the ages, have thought about happiness, argued about its
nature, and, most of all, desired it. But why do we have such a strong
instinct to pursue happiness? And if happiness is good in itself, why
haven't we simply evolved to be happier? Daniel Nettle uses the results
of the latest psychological studies to ask what makes people happy and
unhappy, what happiness really is, and to examine our urge to achieve
it. Along the way we look at brain systems, at mind-altering drugs, and
how happiness is now marketed to us as a commodity. Nettle concludes
that while it may be unrealistic to expect lasting happiness, our
evolved tendency to seek happiness drives us to achieve much that is
worthwhile in itself. What is more, it seems to be not your particular
circumstances that define whether you are happy so much as your
attitude towards life. Happiness gives us the latest scientific
insights into the nature of our feelings of well-being, and what these
imply for how we might live our lives. (Amazon.Com)
The Price is Wrong: Understanding What Makes a Price Seem Fair and the True Cost of Unfair Pricing by Sarah Maxwell
An in-depth look at fair pricing practices and their affect on our everyday lives
Certainly consumers today are concerned about the unfairness of
gasoline prices. And even if these concerns subside, the focus on fair
pricing will shift to other areas such as the unfair costs of health
care, mobile phones, prescription drugs, a college education, real
estate, or hotel rooms. In The Price Is Wrong, pricing expert Sarah
Maxwell explains the psychological and sociological basis of fair
pricing and reveals how this issue affects our everyday lives. Written
in a straightforward and accessible style, this book shows readers how
unfair pricing causes an extreme emotional response. Throughout the
book, Maxwell skillfully explains what makes a price seem wrong, the
social norms of fair pricing, and the true cost of unfair pricing. (Amazon.Com)
Age of Justinian: The Circumstances of Imperial Power by J.A.S. Evans
Review
'A lucid, thorough and reliable introduction to the age of Justinian for students of the Byzantine World.' - Journal of Roman Studies (Amazon.Com)
Pragmatic Stylistics
Sound Change and the History of English
