Language: The Big Picture

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Description

We use language everyday in every aspect of our lives, whether at school, work, or home, with friends, colleagues or family. The ability to use language is so important that it defines what makes us human. Yet what is language And how does it work In this introduction to language, Peter Sharpe answers a series of questions about language to show its inner workings. Drawing on expertise from many disciplines, he examines the origins of language, how language produces meaning, the variation of language across cultures, how language is used in society, and whether or not there is a "correct" way to use language. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter, and signposts for further reading make this the essential introduction to language for inquisitive readers and undergraduates.

Reviews

"Language: The Big Picture is a useful introduction to linguistics, written in a style which makes this potentially dry subject attractive, even fascinating."- Dr Reinhard Hartmann, Head of Applied Linguistics and Director of the Dictionary Research Centre, University of Exeter, UK.
'A good introduction to this study of languages, showing how they start, grow, develop, change, and are used.' Writing Magazine, May 2009
"Language: The Big Picture is an ambitious work, ranging over vast territory in just over 250 pages. As such, it demands close attentioneven on the part of the professional language scholar." -- Charles De Wolf, Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators Newsletter

Author Bio

Peter Sharpe is Professor in the Department of English at Takushoku University, Japan. He is best known for his compilation of an English-Japanese dictionary for foreign learners of Japanese.