In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of...

This is the first book that deals primarily with vocabulary learning strategies as a specific and integral subgroup of language learning strategies. Its aim is to define the concept of language learning strategies in general and their features on the basis of cognitive theory and relevant models of second language acquisition as the basis for empirical research. Furthermore, the book gives a survey of relevant research on vocabulary learning strategies and describes three original empirical studies. Thus, the book integrates the approaches of theories of second language acquisition, the...

Metonymy and Language presents a new theory of language and communication in which the central focus is on the concept of metonymy, the recognition of partial matches and overlaps. Through the use of original data sets and rigorous primary research, Denroche characterizes metonymy as key to understanding why language is so fit for purpose and how it achieves such great subtlety and flexibility. This study develops the notion of metonymic competence and demonstrates that metonymic behavior is often pursued for its own sake in recreational activities, such as quizzes, puzzles and...

• A unique and intriguing journey through the trajectory of political correctness and its impact on public life, focusing on the historical, semantic, and cultural aspects of what PC means
• Explores the origins, progress, content and style of political correctness, discussing and analyzing...

From the first moment of life, language development occurs in the context of social activities. This book...

• Explores the latest insights into the complex relationship between language, words, and the human mind, creating a rich and revealing resource for students and non-specialists alike
• Addresses the structure and content of the human word-store - the 'mental lexicon' - with particular reference to the spoken language of native...