Studies in Anthropological Linguistics , No 8 This book develops the dual themes that languages can differ widely in their vocabularies, and are also sensitive indices to the cultures to which they belong. Wierzbicka seeks to demonstrate that every language has "key concepts," expressed in "key words," which reflect the core values of a given culture.
This is not a dictionary of academic terms you might have been expected to learn in school. Nor is it a dictionary directed to travelers in foreign lands from which you are supposed to learn scores of terms about ordering your dinner in restaurants, or learning to get about in a train station, or arguing with concierges about the state of your hotel room or the high amount of your bill. It is, rather, a dictionary to help you elucidate what you come across every day in newspapers or hear on television. Its choice of terms and directness of style reflect the immediacy of everyday discourse. Thus it is a unique and exceptionally useful addition to the genre of special dictionaries.
AN INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE is ideal for use at all levels and in many different areas of instruction, including education, languages, psychology, anthropology, English, teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), and linguistics. All chapters in this best-seller have been revised to reflect recent discoveries and new understanding of linguistics and languages. The best-selling classic, known for its comprehensive and balanced coverage, has been updated to reflect the most current research in the field of linguistics.
Information-packed volumes provide comprehensive overviews of each nation's people, geography, history, government, economy, and culture - Abundant full-color illustrations guide the reader on a voyage of discovery - Maps reflect current political boundaries.
The information packed volumes in the Modern World Nations series provide comprehensive overviews of each nation's people, geography, history, government, economy and culture. Abundant full-colour illustrations guide the reader on a voyage of discovery, while Maps reflect current political boundaries. Each volume is written by the most experienced professors teaching world regional geography.
