Forget the boring stuff you learned in school. Here's the REAL skinny on Irish history. Invasions, Emergencies, one Big Rising, all sorts of Troubles; the Siege of Limerick (continuing), Paddy of the Snakes, Niall of the Nine Hostages, The Big Fella, The Long Fella, Aer Lingus and the Flight of the Earls, Daniel O'Connell, Wolfe Tone and other singers, Gun-running at Howth, Wind-surfing at Lahinch; the IRB, the IRA, the EEC, the GAA, the Celtic Tiger, RIP. With illustrations that put the Book of Kells in the ha'penny place.

First published in 1961, Jamaica Talk is a thorough study of the English spoken in Jamaica and, although intended for the general educated reader rather than the linguistic specialist, has a foundation of sound scholarship, which makes it an authoritative classic. The late Professor Cassidy was born and reared in Jamaica and collected most of the material for his book when he was attached to the University College of the West Indies as Fulbright research fellow. There are chapters on the composition of "Jamaica talk," on pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. The book is an invaluable reference in all institutions that have language departments, and as a handbook for Jamaicans and for interested visitors to the island.

GET D!RTY
Next time you're traveling or just chattin' in French with your friends, drop the textbook formality and bust out with expressions they never teach you in school, including:
-Cool slang
-Funny insults
-Explicit sex terms
-Raw swear words
"Dirty French" teaches the casual expressions heard every day on the streets of France:
-What's up?
ca va?
-He's totally hot.
Il est un gravure de mode.
-That brie smells funky.
Ce brie sent putain de drole.
-I'm gonna get ripped!
Je vais me fracasser!
-I gotta piss.
Je dois pisser.
-The ref is fucking asshole.
L'arbitre est un gros enaele!
-Wanna try doggy-style?
Veux-tu faire l'amour en levrette?

The ten essays in ""The Crucible of Carolina"" explore the connections between the language and culture of South Carolina's barrier islands, West Africa, the Caribbean, and England. Decades before any formal, scholarly interest in South Carolina barrier life, outsiders had been commenting on and documenting the ""African"" qualities of the region's black inhabitants. These qualities have long been manifest in their language, religious practices, music, and material culture.

In this volume Cleanth Brooks pays tribute to the language and literature of the American South. He writes of the language's unique syntax and its celebrated languorous rhythms; of the classical allusions and Addisonian locutions once favored by the gentry; and of the more earthbound eloquence, rooted in the dialect of England's southern lowlands, that is still heard in the speech of the region's plain folk. It is this rich spoken language, Brooks suggests, that has always been the life blood of southern writing. The strong tradition of storytelling in the South is reflected in the tales told by Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus and in the obsessive retellings that structure William Faulkner's novels and stories. But even more crucially, the language of the South????????????????????????????????????????????????firmly rooted in the land but with a tendency to reach for the heavens above????????????????????????????????????????????????has shaped the literary concerns and molded the complex visions to be found in the poetry of Robert Penn Warren and John Crowe Ransom; the stories of Flannery O'Connor, Peter Taylor, and Eudora Welty; and the novels of Warren, Allen Tate, and Walker Percy.

Bislama is the national language of Vanuatu, the world's most linguistically diverse nation with at least 80 actively spoken Oceanic languages used by about 200,000 people. Bislama began as a plantation pidgin based on English in the nineteenth century, but it has since developed into a unique language with a grammar and vocabulary very different from English. It is one of very few national languages for which there is no readily available reference grammar. This book aims to fill this gap by providing an extensive account of the grammar of Bislama as it is used by ordinary Ni-Vanuatu. It does not, therefore, aim to describe any kind of artificial written norm but sets out to capture a range of different kinds of ways that Ni-Vanuatu will say things in various contexts, both written and spoken, formal and informal. The thrust of this volume is to show that Bislama has a grammar - an unfamiliar concept for those educated in Vanuatu. It also shows that Bislama is a language of considerable complexity, which will come as a surprise to many of its users, who have been taught to view their language as somehow ""simple"" and even ""deficient.

Professor Robert Le Page was a pioneer in the field of English and Creole linguistics in the Caribbean. This collection of papers in honour of Le Page addresses a variety of topics in the field, pointing out the ways in which Le Page and his work have influenced, stimulated or been ignored by others.

This is the first book on Caribbean language studies to include original sections on language in education, speakers' behaviour in informal discourse and language structure. Based on sound linguistic scholarship, the thirteen chapters are organized in three sections: Pedagogical/Sociological; Structure; and Discourse.

Caribbean linguists have long been concerned that the findings of scholars in this field have been inaccessible to teachers and others interested in linguistics in the Caribbean. This book is geared for a wide audience, including school teachers, university students and teachers of linguistics in the Caribbean and the USA, and researchers on Creole languages.

Though there is a contingent of linguists who fight the fact, our language is always changing--not only through slang, but sound, syntax, and words' meanings as well. Debunking the myth of "pure" standard English, tackling controversial positions, and eschewing politically correct arguments, linguist John McWhorter considers speech patterns and regional accents to demonstrate just how the changes do occur. Wielding reason and humor, McWhorter ultimately explains why we must embrace these changes, ultimately revealing our American English in all its variety, expressiveness, and power.

Although the history and structure of Standard English have received much attention, regional forms of English speech have been comparatively neglected. This book aims to introduce the study of dialect in its several aspects both to students of the English language and to interested non-specialists. It is the first work of its kind to draw particularly on the Survey of English Dialects, of which Dr Wakelin was formerly co-editor. Since dialect study in its fullest sense has much light to throw not only on the evolution of the English language but on that of English Society also, Dr Wakelin has sought, within the limits available, to keep the reader constantly aware of this wider significance. In this revised edition errors have been corrected and the text expanded at a number of places to take account of new trends and current research. The bibliography has been updated.

What is odd about the phrase Scots wha hae? Why do you say you've got the cold in Scots? Is there a difference between ane and yin? Do you say youse to one person or two? These are just some of the questions about Scots that are answered in the Grammar Broonie, the Scottish National Dictionary Association's guide to Scots grammar. This new, expanded edition of the Grammar Broonie includes a special section of classroom exercises by well-known Scots writer and teacher, Matthew Fitt. Intended mainly for use at upper primary and lower secondary level, the Grammar Broonie aims to show that Scots has a distinctive grammar in addition to its rich vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation. The text throughout is written in colloquial Scots. This new edition of the Grammar Broonie: *identifies characteristics of Scots grammar *Explains how Scots differs from English grammar *Includes a table of Scots irregular verbs *Discusses regional variations in spelling and grammar *Draws examples from everyday Scots usage *Uses graphics to highligh important grammar points *Includes grammar exercises for use in the classroom

Much scholarly work assumes that the structure of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) derives from an earlier plantation creole. This reader explores an alternative hypothesis: that the characteristic features were acquired from the varieties of English to which early speakers were exposed.

Marshalling historical, dialectal and theoretical linguistic evidence, this work focuses on descendants of former slaves whose ancestors left the US in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to settle in enclave communities where their language developed under conditions of social or geographical isolation.

Six variable linguistic features, most previously considered evidence of creole origins, are traced across varieties of English brought to the US by British colonists. These features, and their linguistic patterning in discourse, are demonstrably part of the English of early African Americans, transmitted to and retained by their descendants long after their disappearance from mainstream varieties of English Contributors include Shana Poplack, Sali Tagliamonte, Gunnel Tottie, and Salikoko S. Mufwene amongst others.

This text celebrates the rich variety of regional and social dialects of English in all its forms, ancient and modern.

In this new, revised and extended edition, Trudgill includes phonetic symbols along with the orthographic representations of speech sounds. Zummerzet and Scouse, Cockney and Cumberland, Brummie and Berkshire, Nottingham, Norfolk and Estuary English are all covered.

English dialects are the result of 1500 years of linguistic and cultural development. Written in non-technical language, this book outlines their history and their geography. It describes and delights in the diversity of vocabulary, accent, grammar and literature to be found among the dialects of England.

Unique subject guide to over 20,000 Scots words. * Subject-by-subject access to Scots words with definitions in English * Wide-ranging coverage of different subjects including animal and plant life, farming and fishing, food and drink, emotions and character * Introduction commenting on the distinctive aspects and qualities of the Scots language * English index to guide users to the appropriate Scots words

As many visitors to Ocracoke will attest, the island's vibrant dialect is one of its most distinctive cultural features. In Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks , Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes present a fascinating account of the Ocracoke brogue. They trace its development, identify the elements of pronunciation, vocabulary, and syntax that make it unique, and even provide a glossary and quiz to enhance the reader's knowledge of 'Ocracokisms.' In the process, they offer an intriguing look at the role language plays in a culture's efforts to define and maintain itself. But Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks is more than a linguistic study. Based on extensive interviews with more than seventy Ocracoke residents of all ages and illustrated with captivating photographs by Ann Ehringhaus and Herman Lankford, the book offers valuable insight on what makes Ocracoke special. In short, by tracing the history of island speech, the authors succeed in opening a window on the history of the islanders themselves. |A comprehensive history of the evolving relationship between American slavery and the law from colonial times to the Civil War. (Please see cloth edition, published 2/96).

A phonological, grammatical, and lexical description of a German-American dialect, Michigan Frankenmuth. Professor Born's book provides a phonological, grammatical, and lexical description of a German-American dialect that has never before been studied. It compares the Michigan Frankenmuth dialect with its parent dialect in central Franconia. The town of Frankenmuth was established in 1845 by an unusually homogeneous group of orthodox Lutherans bent on remaining separate from the American mainstream. The settlement history was therefore a significantfactor in postponing the shift to American English in Frankenmuth until the middle of this century. This study will be of interest to scholars and students of dialectology, contrastive dialectology, and sociolinguistics.

A unique creole language spoken on the coastal islands and adjacent mainland of South Carolina and Georgia, Gullah existed as an isolated and largely ignored linguistic phenomenon until the publication of Lorenzo Dow Turner's landmark volume Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect. In his classic treatise, Turner, the first professionally trained African American linguist, focused on a people whose language had long been misunderstood, lifted a shroud that had obscured the true history of Gullah, and demonstrated that it drew important linguistic features directly from the languages of West Africa. Initially published in 1949, this groundbreaking work of Afrocentric scholarship opened American minds to a little-known culture while initiating a means for the Gullah people to reclaim and value their past. The book presents a reference point for today's discussions about ever-present language varieties, Ebonics, and education, offering important reminders about the subtleties and power of racial and cultural prejudice.

In their introduction to the volume, Katherine Wyly Mille and Michael B. Montgomery set the text in its sociolinguistic context, explore recent developments in the celebration of Gullah culture, and honor Turner with a recounting of his life and scholarly accomplishments.

The origins and development of Pidgin in Nigeria are exhaustively examined. The study's perspectives are historical, theoretical, ontological and sociological. Nigerian Pidgin is identified as a language in its own right, with all the characteristics and potentialities of a natural language, its comparatively recent origins nothwithstanding. The authors treat the structure of the language as such; and make the distinctions between Nigerian Pidgine and a range of pidgin-like forms in Nigeria. Professor Ben Elugbe and Dr. Augusts Omamor are both linguistics of repute, and teach in the Department of Linguistics and African Languages at the University of Ibadan.

In her book, Geneva Smitherman makes a substantial contribution to an understanding of Black English by setting it in the larger context of Black culture and life style. In addition to defining Black English, by its distinctive structure and special lexicon, Smitherman argues that the Black dialect is set apart from traditional English by a rhetorical style which reflects its African origins. Smitherman also tackles the issue of Black and White attitudes toward Black English, particularly as they affect educational policy. Documenting her insights with quotes from notable Black historical, literary and popular figures, Smitherman makes clear that Black English is as legitimate a form of speech as British, American, or Australian English.

Susan Buck-Morss examines and stresses the significance of Critical Theory for young West Germ intellectuals after World War II. Looking at the differences between German and American situations during this time period, Origin of Negative Dialectics convincingly sketches the learning process that ended in antagonism. "[The Origin of Negative Dialectics] is by far the best introduction for the American reader to the complex, esoteric, and illusive structure of thought of one of the most seminal Marxian thinkers of the twentieth century. It belongs on the same shelf as Martin Jay's history of the Frankfurt School, The Dialectical Imagination." - Lewis A. Coser, State University of New York, Stony Brook

This unique and authoritative dictionary contains over 1,100 of the most widely used proverbs in English, utilizing the latest research from the Oxford Languages team to source them. This edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, broadening the cultural range of the proverbs selected, and covering sayings of international origins. With a strong emphasis on concisely explaining the meaning of the proverbs described, the dictionary also provides additional examples of usage, and includes a fascinating history for many entries. Arranged in A-Z order and with a useful thematic index, A Dictionary of Proverbs is ideal for browsing and perfectly suited for quick reference. Look up your old favourites, learn punchy new expressions to get your point across, and find the answer to that crossword clue. It is never too late to learn: find proverbs relevant to every aspect of life in this entertaining and informative collection.

In Relativization in Ojibwe Michael D. Sullivan Sr. compares varieties of the Ojibwe language and establishes subdialect groupings for Southwestern Ojibwe, often referred to as Chippewa, of the Algonquian family. Drawing from a vast corpus of both primary and archived sources, he presents an overview of two strategies of relative clause formation and shows that relativization appears to be an exemplary parameter for grouping Ojibwe dialect and subdialect relationships. Specifically, Sullivan targets the morphological composition of participial verbs in Algonquian parlance and categorizes the variation of their form across a number of communities. In addition to the discussion of participles and their role in relative clauses, he presents original research linking geographical distribution of participles, most likely a result of historical movements of the Ojibwe people to their present location in the northern midwestern region of North America. Following previous dialect studies concerned primarily with varieties of Ojibwe spoken in Canada, Relativization in Ojibwe presents the first study of dialect variation for varieties spoken in the United States and along the border region of Ontario and Minnesota. Starting with a classic Algonquian linguistic tradition, Sullivan then recasts the data in a modern theoretical framework, using previous theories for Algonquian languages and familiar approaches such as feature checking and the split-CP hypothesis.

The Bavarian Dictionary uses the principles of modern lexicography and draws on a vastly larger body of source material to continue the tradition of Johann Andreas Schmeller s Bavarian Dictionary, a work still available in De Gruyter s catalog. The Bavarian Dictionary will contain some 25,000 entries upon completion, covering all dialects currently spoken in the German state of Bavaria."