Libros de Estudios filológicos, página 15 de 178

This book is designed to provide students of phonology with an accessible introduction to the phonological architecture of words. It offers a thorough discussion of the basic building blocks of phonology - in particular features, sounds, syllables and feet - and deals with a range of different theories about these units. Colin Ewen and Harry van der Hulst present their study within a non-linear framework, discussing the contributions of autosegmental phonology, dependency phonology, government phonology and metrical phonology, among others. Their coherent, integrated approach reveals that the differences between these models are not as great as is sometimes believed. The book provides a more detailed analysis of this subject than previously available in introductory textbooks and is an invaluable and indispensable first step towards understanding the major theoretical issues in modern phonology at the word level.

The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories describes the origins and sense development of over 11,000 words in the English language. Well-known idioms such as ''say it with flowers'' are highlighted with the dates of their original use and how and when they came about. Colorful popular beliefs are explored about the origins of words like ''posh'' and ''snob,'' and insights are given into our social history revealed by language development such as the connection in a Roman soldier''s mind of ''salary'' with salt. Throughout, boxed word-building elements show the various meanings of shared ''relationships'' between words. Dictionaries of etymology and word histories differ greatly in what is increasingly being called ''accessibility'' or ''user-friendliness.'' This new work from Oxford, which provides the histories of more than 12,000 words, is definitely on the accessible side. Virtually all of the words are common, ''everyday'' words--core words--with only a handful of the exotics to which editors of other collections of word histories are drawn. Chantrell discusses the words straightforwardly and with a bit more vivacity than might be expected. In addition, her information is undoubtedly fresher than anyone else''s, drawn as it is from the database of ongoing research for the Oxford English Dictionary. Each entry includes the date of first recorded use and a brief discussion of the term''s origin and evolution. Prefixes are treated in boxed ''Wordbuilding'' features. A distinct gesture of friendliness on Chantrell''s part is her decision to spell out words that would ordinarily be abbreviated in scholarly works and even in some nonscholarly dictionaries. T. F. Hoad''s Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (Oxford, 1993), perhaps the most accessible of the scholarly choices, is prefaced by a list of almost 400 abbreviations, the use of which no doubt contributed substantially to its conciseness. In another nod to user-friendliness, many of the words abbreviated in Hoad--ablative, substantival, indeclinable, frequentative, and so on--are not to be found in Chantrell''s word histories. Still, within the zone of popular word histories, Chantrell sets herself against several formidable and well-established

Dazzlingly entertaining, this new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations contains over 5,000 quotations hand-picked by the writer and broadcaster Ned Sherrin. Containing a wide coverage of themes, including forty brand new ones such as Autobiography, Awards and Prizes, Parties, Presidents, Smoking, and Tennis, there is something for everyone on every subject imaginable. From sharp one-liners to witty quips, there are quotations from classic humorists such as Mae West, Oscar Wilde, and Groucho Marx, to today''s well known comedians and wits including Dick Vosburgh, Maureen Lipman, Tracey Ullman, Ben Elton, and Ian Hislop. There are of course quotations from famous luminaries from walks of life other than comedy, from Samuel Johnson to Tennessee Williams, and Albert Einstein to the Duke of Wellington. With details of where each quotation comes from, who said it, where and when, an author index allowing you at a glance to establish who said what, and a detailed keyword index, this is not just an ideal reference tool but also an invaluable and classic collection. ''France is a country where the money falls apart in your hands and you can''t tear the toilet paper.'' Billy Wilder ''People don''t come in my size until they''re old. I used to think people were born with big bones and large frames, but apparently these grow when you''re about sixty-eight.'' Maeve Binchy ''They say the definition of ambivalence is watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Cadillac.'' David Mamet ''I''m President of the United States, and I''m not going to eat any more broccoli!'' George Bush Some may search quotation compilations for wisdom or inspiration, but most crack these reference tomes looking for a laugh. Ned Sherrin has therefore done the world a favor by culling the witticisms and snide remarks from the vast quotation libraries, creating a volume completely dedicated to the funny remark. It''s superbly browsable, but as the nearly 5,000 quotations are grouped by more than 100 themes, it''s also a reference with practical applications. For a quip on consumerism, George Orwell comes through with, ''Adverti

In Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson, one of the towering figures of English literature is revealed with unparalleled immediacy and originality, in a biography to which we owe much of our knowledge of the man himself. Through a series of richly detailed anecdotes, Johnson emerges as a sociable figure, vigorously engaging and fencing with great contemporaries such as Garrick, Goldsmith, Burney and Burke, and of course with Boswell himself. Yet anxieties and obsessions also darkened Johnson's private hours, and Boswell's attentiveness to every facet of Johnson's character makes this biography as moving as it is entertaining.In this entirely new and unabridged edition, David Womersley's introduction examines the motives behind Boswell's work, and the differences between the two men that drew them to each other. It also contains chronologies of Boswell and Johnson, appendices and comprehensive indexes, including biographical details.

Dazzling... Pinker's big idea is that language is an instinct...as innate to us as flying is to geese... Words can hardly do justice to the superlative range and liveliness of Pinker's investigations'- Independent'A marvellously readable book... illuminates every facet of human language: its biological origin, its uniqueness to humanity, it acquisition by children, its grammatical structure, the production and perception of speech, the pathology of language disorders and the unstoppable evolution of languages and dialects' - Nature