The State of the Language: English ObservedOxford University Press, 1985 - 180 oldal Is the English language in decline? Many people seem to think so--but Philip Howard isn't one of them. The Literary Editor of The Times of London, Howard takes a robust, commonsensical view of the changes that are happening in English. His is not the Panglossian attitude that all is neccessarily for the best in the best of all possible languages, but he does feel that change is necessary--and healthy--in any living language. Howard here examines the language in its various branches and categories, such as grammar and pronunciation, spelling and punctuation, dialect and slang. He discusses the effect the new technologies, from cable TV to photocomposition, are having on the mother tongue, and he examines the new dialects that are coming into use. He navigates the back streets of euphemism and the broad, boring boulevards of cliche. He asks whether the language is actually changing as fast as we suppose, and, if so, why. Howard argues that as far as we can, we should strive to direct and control the changes in English in ways that increase its power. And where we can't help it, he says, we should lie back and enjoy its immense richness, which is unrivaled by any other language. Rather than have us wring our hands, Philip Howard entreats us, with his customary with and erudition, to use our tongues in concert with our brains. About the Author: Philip Howard is the author of New Words for Old, Weasel Words, Words Fail Me, and, most recently, A Word in Your Ear. |
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accent American Australian become British broadcasting called century clichés clitch Cockney comma Computerese confusion derived describe developed dialects of English Dictionary distinction Dr Johnson dysphemisms English grammar English language English spelling English-speakers etymology euphemism euphemistic example express foreign French full stop gobbledygook going Greek Grose headline idiom Indian English invented jargon journalese Latin letters lexicon linguistic literary London mark meaning metaphor Middle English modern newspapers noun one's original orthography Oxford Oxford English Dictionary phonetic phrase phrops pidgin popular Preppy printers pronounced punctuation Queen's English quotation readers received pronunciation refer reform registers rhyming slang Rockspeak sciences sense sentence sexual Shakespeare Sloane Rangers social sound South African English speak speakers split infinitives spoken standard English Strine Swinglish syllable technical jargon tendency thing tion tongue verb vocabulary vogue vowel words world language writing written Yinglish
Hivatkozások erre a könyvre
Proper English: Myths and Misunderstandings about Language Ronald Wardhaugh Nincs elérhető előnézet - 1999 |