Language matters : a guide to everyday questions about language / Donna Jo Napoli.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Napoli, Donna Jo, 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language and languages--Miscellanea.

Language and languages.

Genre:

Trivia and miscellanea.

Physical Description:

vii, 198 pages ; 18 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.

Summary:

Is Ebonics really a dialect or simply bad English? Do women and men speak differently? Will computers ever really learn human language? Does offensive language harm children? These are only a few of the issues surrounding language that crop up every day. Most of us have very definite opinions on these questions one way or another. Yet as linguist Donna Jo Napoli points out in this short and highly entertaining volume, many of our most deeply held ideas about the nature of language and its role in our lives are either misconceived or influenced by myths and stereotypes. Napoli provides an entertaining tour through the world of language, examining these and other vexing and controversial language-related questions. Throughout, she encourages and leads the reader to use common-sense and everyday experience rather than preconceived notions or technical linguistic expertise. Both her questions and her conclusions are surprising, sometimes provocative, and always entertaining. This volume is sure to engage both general readers and students of language and linguistics at any level.

Contents:

Part I Language: The Human Ability

1 How do we acquire language? 3

2 From one language to the next: Why is it hard to learn a second language? Why is translation so difficult? 17

3 Does language equal thought? 38

4 Are sign languages real languages? 52

5 Do animals have language? 72

6 Can computers learn language? 87

Part II Language in Society

7 Whose speech is better? 99

8 Why do dialects and creoles differ from standard language? 121

9 Do men and women speak differently? And who cares? 135

10 English spelling is hard, and it makes learning to read hard. Should we do anything about it? 146

11 Should the United States adopt English as our official language and overhaul our educational system accordingly? 163

12 Does exposure to and use of offensive language harm children? 179.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0195155289

0195160487

OCLC:

50143491