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The English Language: An Owner's Manual is the first text designed to be used in general introductory courses in the English language that is reader friendly, accessible, and fun. Rather than focus on technical linguistics, the book offers a more eclectic set of topics to introduce students to various aspects of language. Its goals are to draw on the daily use of language, especially students' own language; explore the cultural significance of so called "traditional" grammar as a set of tools and terms; and give students a basic understanding of the modern linguistic view of language as a rule governed system. The focus throughout is on language analysis that students should find more relevant: that language is a system of universal qualities, that it is dynamic and always changing, and that studying it pushes us to rethink the assumptions we have about language.
List of contents
Each chapter concludes with “Summing Up” and “For Further Exploration.”
1.The Play of Language.
Wordplay!
The Play of Language.
Fun and Games with Language.
Language, Magic, and Power.
The Dimensions of Discourse.
2.The Nature of Language. What Is Language?
Why Do Linguists Want to Describe Languages?
How Do Linguistics Describe Languages?
3.Language and Society. Language in Context: Micro-Language
Language and Gender.
Language and Culture.
Language and Organizations.
The Politics of Language.
Language Suppression.
4.Extended Language. Media and Their Cultures.
Rhetoric and Media Analysis.
The Medium of Print.
The Mass Entertainment Media.
Interactive Media.
The Fine Arts as Mass Media.
Rhetoric in Popular Culture.
5.A Brief History of the English Language. English as a Changing Tongue.
The Indo-European Language Family and Its History.
Indo-European to Germanic.
Old English (449-1100 A.D.).
Middle English (1100-1500 A.D.).
Modern English (1500 A.D.-Present).
World Englishes.
6.Traditions in Grammar. A Brief History of Grammar.
A Short Introduction to Grammar.
7.Modern Grammars. The Research Agenda of Modern Syntax.
Describing Language.
The Generative Syntax Model.
Transformations.
8.Comparing Grammars. Comparing Grammars.
The Artificial Language Movement.
Three Natural Indo-European Languages.
Non Indo-European Languages.
English as a World Language.
9.Varieties, Dialects, and Registers. The Nature of Variation.
Describing Variation.
Why Does Language Variation Exist?
Varieties of English.
Local and Global Considerations in Language Variation.
10.Language and the Marketplace of Ideas. Speech, Writing, and the Human Record.
Literature and the World of Words.
Language and the World of Persuasion.
Language and Inquiry.
Learning Language and Learning through Language.
Language and Salvation.
Glossary. Bibliography. Index.
Summary
Can it ever be fun to learn about grammar? IsnÕt that an oxymoron? But how about the historical traditions behind grammar? What is the purpose of grammar? How does modern grammar differ from yesterdayÕs grammar? Allowing individuals to actually think about the way they speak and the aspects which comprise their everyday language is perhaps the most basic and most effective way to begin language analysis. By drawing on the daily use of language, this book explores the cultural significance of so-called "traditional" grammar as a set of tools and terms; and gives readers a basic understanding of the modern linguistic view of language as a rule-governed system. KEY TOPICS: The focus throughout is on language analysis that readers will find both relevant and interesting. Language is explored as a system of universal qualities, dynamic and transforming and language study as the impetus that pushes people to critically rethink their assumptions about language. MARKET: Anyone interested in improving their mastery of the English language.
