Language Myths (Paperback)

If we think the Media Are Ruining English, or French Is a Logical Language, that Women Talk Too Much and Everyone Has an Accent but Me, we are wrong and 'prejudices based on the way other people speak are akin to racism and sexism'. The professional linguists who contribute to this book show that often these pet beliefs are what it was once politically permissible to call old wives' tales, or national or social snobberies with no linguistic justification. Some of these knock-down arguments are naturally more convincing than others, but this is a wide-ranging and lively collection. (Kirkus UK)

The media are ruining English"; "Some languages are harder than others"; "Children can't speak or write properly anymore." Such pieces of "cultural wisdom" are often expressed in newspapers and on radio and television. Rarely is there a response from experts in the fields of language and language development. In this book Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill have invited nineteen respected linguists from all over the world to address these "language myths"--showing that they vary from the misconceived to the downright wrong. With essays ranging from "Women Talk Too Much" and "In the Appalachians They Speak Like Shakespeare" to "Italian Is Beautiful, German Is Ugly" and "They Speak Really Bad English Down South and in New York City," Language Myths is a collection that is wide-ranging, entertaining, and authoritative.

General

Imprint:	Penguin Books
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	November 1998
First published:	September 1999
Editors:	Laurie Bauer • Peter Trudgill
Authors:	Laurie Bauer
Dimensions:	198 x 130 x 13mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	188
ISBN-13:	978-0-14-026023-6
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Language & linguistics > General Books > Language & Literature > Literature: texts > Essays, journals, letters & other prose works > General
LSN:	0-14-026023-4
Barcode:	9780140260236

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