Books, Reference, Words & Language, Semantics

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Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane R. Templeton, Francine Johnston
Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction (4th Edition) (Words Their Way Series)
by Prentice Hall (Paperback)

With more than 15 years of extensive observations and experiences in real classrooms, the authors bring keen insight to this activity-based book. They advocate basing student learning on the appropriate developmental level. This philosophy is supported with more than 250 ready-to-use word study, spelling, vocabulary, and phonics activities presented in developmental sequence, from the Emergent through the Derivational Relation stage. For educators and school administrators.

Steven Pinker
The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language
by William Morrow & Co (Hardcover)

The codirector of the MIT Center for Cognitive Science explains how language works, how it differs from thought, why adults have difficulty learning foreign languages, and why computers cannot learn human language. 75,000 first printing.

Frank Luntz
Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
by Hyperion (Hardcover) (Release Date: 2006-12-20)

The nation’s premier communications expert shares his wisdom on how the words we choose can change the course of business, of politics, and of life in this country In Words That Work, Luntz offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the tactical use of words and phrases affects what we buy, who we vote for, and even what we believe in. With chapters like "The Ten Rules of Successful Communication" and "The 21 Words and Phrases for the 21st Century," he examines how choosing the right words is essential. Nobody is in a better position to explain than Frank Luntz: He has used his knowledge of words to help more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies grow. He’ll tell us why Rupert Murdoch’s six-billion-dollar decision to buy DirectTV was smart because satellite was more cutting edge than "digital cable," and why pharmaceutical companies transitioned their message from "treatment" to "prevention" and "wellness." If you ever wanted to learn how to talk your way out of a ...

David Ball
Backwards & Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays
by Southern Illinois University Press (Paperback)

This guide to playreading for students and practitioners of both theater and literature complements, rather then contradicts or repeats, traditional methods of literary analysis of scripts.Ball developed his method during his work as Literary Director at the Guthrie Theater, building his guide on the crafts playwrights of every period and style use to make their plays stageworthy. The text is full of tools for students and practitioners to use as they investigate plot, character, theme, exposition, imagery, motivation/obstacle/conflict, theatricality, and the other crucial parts of the superstructure of a play. He includes guides for discovering what the playwright considers the play’s most important elements, thus permitting interpretation based on the foundation of the play rather than its details.Using Hamlet as illustration, Ball assures a familiar base for illustrating script-reading techniques as well as examples of the kinds of misinterpretation readers can fall prey to ...

Language Myths
by Penguin (Non-Classics) (Paperback)

This is a unique collection of original essays by 21 of the world's leading linguists. The topics discussed focus on some of the most popular myths about language: the media are ruining English; children can't speak or write properly anymore; and, America is ruining the English language. The tone is lively and entertaining throughout and there are cartoons from Doonesbury and The Wizard of Id to illustrate some of the points. The book should have a wide readership not only amongst students who want to read leading linguists writing about popular misconceptions but also amongst the large number of people who enjoy reading about language in general.

Ambrose Bierce
The Devil's Dictionary (Oxford Language Classics)
by Oxford University Press (Paperback)

George Yule
The Study of Language
by Cambridge University Press (Hardcover)

This textbook provides a straightforward and comprehensive survey of the basic issues and topics involved in the study of language. Its twenty chapters range over speculation about the origin of language, the relationship between language and animal communication, the principal concepts involved in linguistic analysis, the new fields of discourse analysis and computer understander systems, sign language, current views on how children acquire language and how adults learn new languages, how languages change over time and how language is affected by various social, cultural and regional factors. Written in a clear and lively style, with frequent examples from English and other languages, this textbook is designed to introduce the non-specialist reader to issues that fascinate and sometimes frustrate professional linguists. Students taking an introductory course on the nature of human language will find the carefully selected study questions, discussion topics and suggestions for ...

S. I. Hayakawa, S.I. Hayakawa
Language in Thought and Action: Fifth Edition
by Harcourt (Paperback)

A revised, updated edition of S. I. Hayakawas classic work on semantics. He discusses the role of language, its many functions, and how language shapes our thinking. Introduction by Robert MacNeil; Index.

Ludwig Wittgenstein
Philosophical Investigations/Philosophische Untersuchungen
by Blackwell Publishers (Paperback)

Unavailable for 30 years, this volume presents the original German/English edition of Wittgenstein's "Philosophical Investigations" - one of the most influential philosophical works of the 20th century. The last product of intensive work by Wittgenstein during the period 1929-49, the book explores the concepts: of meaning; of understanding; of propositions; of logic; and of states of consciousness. The fundamental ideas of the "Tractatus" are both expounded and criticized. It should be of particular interest to all students of philosophy.

Rod L. Evans
The Artful Nuance: A Refined Guide to Imperfectly Understood Words in the English Language
by Perigee Trade (Paperback) (Release Date: 2009-02-03)

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter.” (Mark Twain)What’s the difference between: Nectar and ambrosia? Bough and branch? Astonished and surprised? Sensual and sensuous? Beside and besides? Many people use these words interchangeably but there are actually subtle and interesting differences in meaning and usage. Now from the author of Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge comes a fun and fascinating word reference book for word lovers, students, and trivia collectors alike. Readers will relish learning about these distinctions in this entertaining homage to a gift we use every day—words.

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