How do we find the right word for the job? Where does that word come from? Why do we spell it like that? And how do we know what it means? Words are all around us - we use them every day to communicate our joys, fears, hopes, opinions, wishes and demands - but we don't often think about them too deeply. In this highly accessible introduction to English words, the reader will discover what the study of words can tell them about the extraordinary richness and complexity of our daily vocabulary and about the nature of language in general. Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, the book covers a wide range of topics, including the structure of words, the meaning of words, how their spelling relates to pronunciation, how new words are manufactured or imported from other languages, and how the meaning of words changes with the passage of time. It also investigates how the mind deals with words by highlighting the amazing intellectual feat performed routinely when the right word is retrieved from the mental dictionary. This revised and expanded second edition brings the study of words right up to date with coverage of text messaging and email and includes new material on psycholinguistics and word meaning. With lively examples from a range of sources - encompassing poetry, jokes, journalism, advertising and clichés - and including practical exercises and a fully comprehensive glossary, English Words is an entertaining introduction to the study of words and will be of interest to anyone who uses them.
This popular introductory textbook offers a lively and comprehensive introduction to current morphological theory and analysis, enabling beginners to approach current literature in the subject with confidence. Part I develops students' understanding of traditional and structuralist notions of word structure and provides them with a firm grounding in word structure and word formation. Part II explores the relationship between morphology and phonology, while Part III looks at morphology in relation to syntax and the lexicon. Numerous practical exercises which involve formulating hypotheses and testing them against linguistic data cement the reader's understanding of the field. This accessible introduction to morphology is an ideal resource for students of English and linguistics and their teachers. New to this Edition: - Fully revised throughout, with updated discussions to reflect changes in the field and an expanded list of suggestions for further reading - Brand-new chapter on Optimality Theory
English Words aims to arouse curiosity about English words and about the nature of language in general, especially among introductory students who do not intend to specialize in linguistics.
Frontiers of Phonology is a collection of essays that present a selective overview of trends in the linguistic analysis of sound structure. The essays are written by specialists from Europe, Canada and the USA and discuss issues from three broad areas of phonology: the nature and representation of phonological features; the role and structure of the skeletal tier and syllable structure; and the competing claims of derivational and declarative approaches to phonology. The book provides a forum for lively discussion of important theoretical topics from various standpoints including metrical and autosegmental phonology, dependency phonology and declarative phonology. The contributors, who are protagonists of these different standpoints, compare notes and show the merits of their different approaches. The essays discussing derivational issues offer an excellent introduction to the area of constraints based phonology, and by covering the phonology of many languages the book provides an understanding of how human languages in general use sound.
An initiation into the intricacies of scientific linguistic analysis, Contemporary Linguistics covers not only how language is structured, but also how it functions both socially and culturally, and how it is acquired and processed by speakers. --
Bru Nansi’s Revival is a treat! The plot mixes past and present class conflicts into satirical entertainment for all ages. Chunky human and animal role reversal imagery reveals the cancel culture spirit of unity that stops the old imperialism and jump-starts a new kinder kingdom. Within the backdrop of historical references and benchmarks, this cultural tale mixes church and state traditions to recreate a lifestyle drama set in a 1700s colonial neighborhood. In this community, the natives become multilingual to communicate with the conquistadores. So, the texts present a treasure trove of multilingual words that capture the ambience of the era. Bru Nansi’s Revival is retold in African and European languages that are relevant to the setting.
""This play tackles the theatrically attractive but ethically complex issue of Christian fundamentalism. Nyamnjoh, as a sociologist is well qualified to explore the social problems and psychological pressures which give rise to the born-again phenomenon, and the strong appeal of fundamentalist religion. The Convert, however is no schematic sociological tract. It deals with the conflicting imperatives in 21st century West Africa, which push ordinary people into extraordinary situations, and provides no easy solutions to the issues raised. Although the play revolves around the Ultimate Church of Christ and the four main characters affected by it, the audience is given a deftly sketched picture of a corrupt world beyond it, lacking in spiritual or community values. [..] The characterization. is remarkable for its avoidance of any obvious protagonist; the audience is allowed no clear character with whom to identify. The four main characters . have both virtues and flaws, each providing insights into ways the consumer-oriented materialism of modern life impacts upon African spirituality and community values. - David Kerr, Professor in Literature and Drama, University of Botswana """"At the core of the implicit philosophy in Nyamnjoh's The Convert . is the theatrical manifesto that contemporary society has not only to liberate itself, and its productive powers from 'Pentecostal', freak religions and distortion, it also has to liberate these same productive capacities from their present prostration. There is a deep, engaging humanism that pervades The Convert, but it is a humanism emblematic, to speak analogously, of the Aeschylean variety."""" - Bate Besong, Africa Review of Books.
This popular introductory textbook offers a lively and comprehensive introduction to current morphological theory and analysis, enabling beginners to approach current literature in the subject with confidence. Part I develops students' understanding of traditional and structuralist notions of word structure and provides them with a firm grounding in word structure and word formation. Part II explores the relationship between morphology and phonology, while Part III looks at morphology in relation to syntax and the lexicon. Numerous practical exercises which involve formulating hypotheses and testing them against linguistic data cement the reader's understanding of the field. This accessible introduction to morphology is an ideal resource for students of English and linguistics and their teachers. New to this Edition: - Fully revised throughout, with updated discussions to reflect changes in the field and an expanded list of suggestions for further reading - Brand-new chapter on Optimality Theory
English Words aims to arouse curiosity about English words and about the nature of language in general, especially among introductory students who do not intend to specialize in linguistics.
Class Marking in Emai examines the retention, reduction, and transformation of inflectional resources pertaining to noun class in Emai, an Edoid language of south-central Nigeria. Ronald P. Schaefer and Francis O. Egbokhare demonstrate that in contrast to its Bantu relations, Emai retains form class prefixes on a relatively small group of nouns that distribute across eleven declension sets. Prefix addition rather than prefix alternation arises when ideophonic adverbials become syntactically displaced due to information structure and when Emai borrows lexical items from other languages. Reduction is evident in two primary domains: agreement class or gender and prefixes that alternate to express form class and grammatical number. As for transformation, it characterizes tonal, nominal and pronominal domains. Putting Emai and its noun class system into a broader cultural and archaeological context of historical language change, this book explores what it means to be a Benue Congo language with a reduced inflectional system.
I sat quietly with rapt attention as I listened to the eloquent oration of my foster father, the first Minister of Social Welfare in the first republic and one-time Apesin of Lagosthe chieftaincy title he upheld till his death. He was late Chief J.M. Johnsona name that had known the ocean and beheld the sea. If there are other ways to define a gentleman beyond the sphere of letters of the alphabet, that man was a-man-among-thousands, Chief JMJ, as he was fondly called, would have earned more appellations in diverse regards but for death.
Although her son, Jim, apparently died in an accident. Ruth St Just is doubtful. She might not have understood why he joined a religious community on the tiny African island of Ellamore, or even why he had gone abroad in the first place, but the manner of his death doesn't ring true. The Foreign Office are unconcerned however. No matter how much this obsessive woman badgers them, investigations go no further. Frustrated, Ruth takes matters into her own hands. She sets off on a personal mission to Africa, determined to expose the sordid truth behind the sinister sect and the mysterious, charismatic woman who reigns over it, and to uncover among the bizarre band of misfits and eccentrics, the disturbing circumstances that led to the death of her son.
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