What are the unique characteristics of sign languages and what can they tell us about language more generally? This volume comprises 25 chapters by an international team of scholars, who discuss more than 40 sign languages, old and young, around the world, providing a wealth of linguistic and anthropological information on such topics as the languages’ history and transmission, their grammatical structures and variation both within and between languages.

Designed for all intermediate learners, as well as those following the Michel Thomas method, this conversational course focuses on colloquial language and the conversation strategies used by native Spanish speakers. The ten lessons cover a range of topics and aim to advance overall fluency, expand vocabulary and improve listening comprehension and grammar. The boxed set comprises a text book, one MP3 CD-ROM and one interactive CD-ROM.

Part of the Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics series, this volume of eleven essays presents Tanya Reinhart’s Theta System (as developed up to her death in 2007), examines its underpinnings and its advantages, and suggests further developments.

An etymological tour de force, Bradley's account of the relationships between English and other languages and the process of word-making was written in 1904 and represents the culmination of his philological career. Off-mint.

Many varieties of English are now spoken across the world, each gradually evolving from one generation to the next. But which key features of these dialects grew up in their new contexts and which are the legacy of their origins in England and Scotland? Tagliamonte's groundbreaking investigation focuses on the ways in which four dialects from northern Britain have influenced aspects of the language used in areas of the world where the founding populations came from these dialect regions.

The recent resurgence of pride in Celtic identity has led to increased interest in Scottish Gaelic; this textbook provides a step-by-step introduction to the language as it is spoken today, using short dialogues covering a range of everyday situations. With a grammar summary, glossaries and English translations of the dialogues, the course is especially suitable for independent learners. Free online audio files, recorded by native speakers, complement the book.

Covering a wide range of genres, this study of the communicative aspects of English manuscripts from the 14th to 19th centuries demonstrates how handwritten texts can be used to analyse the history of language as communication between individuals and groups.

Providing sociolinguistic and historical information on lesser-known native varieties of English around the world, this volume comprises 18 essays arranged by region, from Orkney and Shetland to Pitcairn Island.

For students of English language and linguistics who are frustrated by the tedious ‘rule book’ teaching of English grammar, this textbook approaches the grammar of a language ‘as a dynamic, constantly changing set of habit patterns that allows people to communicate with one another’. The book offers a rigorous introduction to English grammar and syntax, with examples, exercises and chapter summaries.

Everyone has an accent, though many of us think that we don't. What does ours say about us – and what do we assume about others when we hear theirs? Actor Ben Crystal and his linguist father David travel the world in search of the stories of spoken English, from Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of Received Pronunciation. Authoritative and packed with anecdotes, this book celebrates the rich variety of the English language.

The bestselling Easy Learning Language series is designed for both young and adult learners, from beginners up to GCSE students, and the books are excellent for exam revision. Each volume is clearly laid out and contains hundreds of example phase. The Verbs books give detailed rules for verb formation and verb table and include a 'Verb Wheel' for conjugating the most commonly used verbs, while the jargon free Easy Learning Grammar books provide the basics needed to speak and understand the language.

The bestselling Easy Learning Language series is designed for both young and adult learners, from beginners up to GCSE students, and the books are excellent for exam revision. Each volume is clearly laid out and contains hundreds of example phase. The Verbs books give detailed rules for verb formation and verb table and include a 'Verb Wheel' for conjugating the most commonly used verbs, while the jargon free Easy Learning Grammar books provide the basics needed to speak and understand the language.

How are laburnum, Labradors, laboratories and astrolabes all connected with earlobes? Christopher Stevens delves deep into the archaeology of English words, using two centuries of research by linguists to uncover the single-syllable words, from ak to wid, that were used in the Indo-European language of our Neolithic ancestors. By examining the later development of these words in many languages, he demonstrates the quirky connections between items of everyday vocabulary.

Jonathan Robinson curates the British Museum's archive of sound recordings illustrating British accents and dialects. He has compiled this quirky yet fascinating glossary by using such audio material collected from present-day dialect speakers, as well as old dictionaries' evidence of historical usage, so that the Wordbank not only provides a snapshot of vernacular English in the early 21st century but also reveals the ancient origins of many words and phrases in use today.

Teach Yourself books have been used and trusted by language learners for over 70 years and now their new interactive 'Discovery Method' means rules are absorbed faster and are easier to remember. Comprising a 416-page book and two CDs, this beginner to intermediate course enables you to master the four key skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking French. References in the book to interactive elements may no longer be valid. Boxed set.

If we need a term for something new, we can invent a completely new word, adapt one that already exists, combine two words, or unearth and polish up some long-forgotten item of vocabulary. Taggart's book celebrates the linguistic versatility that created 'brunch' and 'breathalyser', 'selfie' and 'sitcom'; traces the changing definitions of such words as 'web' and 'hardware'; and asks how 'blue', 'green' and 'red' acquired metaphorical meanings.

Volume 4 in the collected works of British linguist Michael Halliday (1925- ), presenting 16 papers on early childhood language in three sections: infancy and protolanguage, the transition from child tongue to mother tongue, and early language and learning.

A systematic and accessible introduction to the lexicology of modern English, exploring the sources of modern English words and the development of vocabulary over time, looking meanings. 9”x7”

For centuries bitter arguments have raged over the correct usage of the English language, with ideas of correctness often having more to do with morality and politics than language itself. 'But feeling outrage is not the same as being right': in a witty, combative and thought-provoking book, Hitchings presents the most persistent disputes in chronological order, asking where ideas of 'proper' English have come from and assessing their implications for our relationships, work and freedoms.

No jacket.