You Know what I Mean?: Words, Contexts and Communication
By
Ruth Wajnryb (Author)
Paperback
Available / dispatched within 1 - 2 weeks
Quantity
Description
Does a word mean what it says? Sometimes - but not always. Everyone thinks that meaning is contained within words - like sardines in a tin, or milk in a bottle. After all, words are nice stable things that you can look up in a dictionary aren't they? But dictionaries only take us so far... If you eavesdropped on a teenage conversation, rushing to a dictionary - with its definitions frozen in time - wouldn't help much. Who's using a word and to whom, in what context, for what purpose - all these influence the meaning of the language we use. The word's origins and history (its 'genetics') also help. Try teaching yourself another language from a phrasebook and you'll soon learn that you can be correct, in the formal sense, but still way behind the times in reality. In this book Wajnryb considers these and other questions to explore how and why our language works the way it does. Worked examples or Exercises
About the Author
Dr Ruth Wajnryb is an applied linguist, researcher and writer, with a weekly column, WORDS, in The Sydney Morning Herald. She has written many books on language, typically using a linguistic lens to look at social interaction. She is currently writing a detective novel about a forensic linguist.
More Details
- Contributor: Ruth Wajnryb
- Imprint: Cambridge University Press
- ISBN13: 9780521703741
- Number of Pages: 240
- Packaged Dimensions: 138x210x12mm
- Packaged Weight: 340
- Format: Paperback
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press
- Release Date: 2008-09-25
- Binding: Paperback / softback
- Biography: Dr Ruth Wajnryb is an applied linguist, researcher and writer, with a weekly column, WORDS, in The Sydney Morning Herald. She has written many books on language, typically using a linguistic lens to look at social interaction. She is currently writing a detective novel about a forensic linguist.
Delivery Options
Home Delivery
Store Delivery
Free Returns
We hope you are delighted with everything you buy from us. However, if you are not, we will refund or replace your order up to 30 days after purchase. Terms and exclusions apply; find out more from our Returns and Refunds Policy.