About this title: This is a unique collection of original essays by 21 of the world's leading linguists. The topics discussed focus on some of the most popular myths about language: the media are ruining English; children can't speak or write properly anymore; and, America is ruining the English language. The tone is lively and entertaining throughout and there are ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: Later Printing
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin USA, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780140260236ISBN:0140260234
Description: Very Good. 8vo-over 7 3/4"-9 3/4" Tall 0140260234 Used Remainder mark. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 1999-09-07
ISBN-13:9780140260236ISBN:0140260234
Description: Very Good in None As Issued jacket. Cover shows light shelfwear with some faint creasing on rear. Binding is square and tight. Pages are clean and unmarked. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: New. 0140260234 SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! NEW Book! May have remainder mark. Most orders ship within 1 BUSINESS DAY with ORDER CONFIRMATION. Great Book at a Great Value! read more
"read for my language & culture class. not that exciting for me because it didn't go into enough depth (lots of short chapters), but this book would be an amazing read for someone who's just dipping toes into the wonders of language."
"Provides a great perspective on language and American society's perception of it. Each essay is equally intriguing and revealing. I loved the essay about Southern and New York accents, given the fact I'm Southern.
Also, I do not understand the low ratings this book has. Langauge Myths DOES deconstruct what we assume about language. And, yes, they are right when they claim the idea that some langauges are harder to learn than others is bogus. I learned both French and Russian and did not ever think one language was harder than another. The only reason people assume this is because some languages, like Russian, differ vastly from English. So, of course to some people beginning to learn a langauge like that will appear hard at first. The key to learning any langauge is accepting the fact that not all langauges translate directly, word-for-word from English. Once you accept that idea, whatever language you study will seem fairly simple. Even Russian. (And I can say that with confidence!)"
"A good idea, I guess, to debunk language myths from an academic perspective, but it comes off as dry an scattered. Each chapter is by a different stuffed shirt, so it's kind of inconsistent in content. It's best just to read the chapter titles and know these are myths, but there's no need to read the chapters themselves, since the argumentation is usually lost in all the technicalities employed by these furiously signifying monkeys."
"A decent read for those who haven't studied much linguistics, but a little dry for those who have, i think, and fairly clunky overall in myth-busting structure. I agree with the review that complains each of these myths is pretty much a straw man. Some of the myths -- "Women Talk Too Much," for example -- i would call worthless, the conclusion of the chapter basically being "it's more complicated than that." Duh.
A few interesting myths are included that i'd never heard about: "French is a Logical Language" and "In The Appalachians They Speak Like Shakespeare" were both new to me and fun to learn about/bust even if the debunking of evidence wasn't exactly mind-blowing.
I'd say the majority of myths are relying on a prescriptivism-versus-descriptivism lesson, big surprise, and in some chapters this was exciting to discuss -- "Double Negatives are Illogical" makes important points about the dangers of applying math to language. "Italian is Beautiful, German is Ugly" ALMOST gets to a point that's interesting but stops short.
A lot of the myths are too similar for a book of such brief arguments, and are just reinforcing the same ideas over and over. But those ideas are important ones for anyone new to the subject."
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