Literacy studies is a growing field within applied linguistics, education and media studies. Despite the field's new prominence, current treatments are often weighted towards the propagation of a particular view or approach.This book provides a more balanced understanding, arguing that: * literacy must be examined through a balance of approaches if we are to appreciate its true nature* literacy cannot be described simply as situated, social activity* literacy is the sign systems and the uses of language that foster and reflect its social existence.* literacy is a property of mind. The book...

Understanding metaphor raises key questions about the relationship between language and meaning, and between language and mind. This book explores how this understanding can impact upon the theory and practice of language teaching. After summarising the cognitive basis of metaphor and other figures of speech, it looks at how this knowledge can inform classroom practice. Finally, it sets out how we can use these insights to re-appraise language learning theory in a way that treats it as consonant with the cognitive nature of language.

This book argues that Second language teaching has not been well served by recent approaches to the description of language content. The book explores how Cognitive Linguistics offers teachers a description of language that can translate into practical classroom activities.