This thoroughly readable and stimulating social history of Western Europe, first published in 1984, explores the family, religion and the supernatural, and the social structure and social controls of rural society. This title will be of interest not only to students, but to anyone who is anxious to understand the lives - both internal and external - of rural people in his fascinating period that is so central to everyone's past.

This thoroughly readable and stimulating social history of Western Europe, first published in 1984, explores the family, religion and the supernatural, and the social structure and social controls of rural society. This title will be of interest not only to students, but to anyone who is anxious to understand the lives - both internal and external - of rural people in his fascinating period that is so central to everyone's past.

A compelling history of radical transformation in the fourth-century--when Christianity decimated the practices of traditional pagan religion in the Roman Empire. The Final Pagan Generation recounts the fascinating story of the lives and fortunes of the last Romans born before the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. Edward J. Watts traces their experiences of living through the fourth century's dramatic religious and political changes, when heated confrontations saw the Christian establishment legislate against pagan practices as mobs attacked pagan holy sites and temples. The emperors who issued these laws, the imperial officials charged with implementing them, and the Christian perpetrators of religious violence were almost exclusively young men whose attitudes and actions contrasted markedly with those of the earlier generation, who shared neither their juniors' interest in creating sharply defined religious identities nor their propensity for violent conflict. Watts examines why the "final pagan generation"-born to the old ways and the old world in which it seemed to everyone that religious practices would continue as they had for the past two thousand years-proved both unable to anticipate the changes that imperially sponsored Christianity produced and unwilling to resist them. A compelling and provocative read, suitable for the general reader as well as students and scholars of the ancient world.

The relationship between language and music has much in common - rhythm, structure, sound, metaphor. Exploring the phenomena of song and performance, this book presents a sociolinguistic model for analysing them. Based on ethnomusicologist John Blacking's contention that any song performed communally is a 'folk song' regardless of its generic origins, it argues that folk song to a far greater extent than other song genres displays 'communal' or 'inclusive' types of performance. The defining feature of folk song as a multi-modal instantiation of music and language is its participatory nature, making it ideal for sociolinguistic analysis. In this sense, a folk song is the product of specific types of developing social interaction whose major purpose is the construction of a temporally and locally based community. Through repeated instantiations, this can lead to disparate communities of practice, which, over time, develop sociocultural registers and a communal stance towards aspects of meaningful events in everyday lives that become typical of a discourse community.

This groundbreaking collection explores the beliefs and approaches to the history of English that do not make it into standard textbooks.
Orthodox histories have presented a tunnel version of the history of the English language which is sociologically inadequate. In this book a range of leading international scholars show how this focus on standard English dialect is to the detriment of those which are non-standard or from other areas of the world. Alternative Histories of English:
* reveals the range of possible 'narratives' about how different varieties of 'Englishes' may have emerged
* places emphasis on pragmatic, sociolinguistic and discourse-oriented aspects of English rather than the traditional grammar, vocabulary and phonology
* considers diverse topics including South African English, Indian English, Southern Hemisphere Englishes, Early Modern English, women's writing, and politeness.
Presenting a fuller and richer picture of the complexity of the history of English, the contributors to Alternative Histories of English explain why English is the diverse world language it is today.

This groundbreaking collection explores the beliefs and approaches to the history of English that do not make it into standard textbooks.
Orthodox histories have presented a tunnel version of the history of the English language which is sociologically inadequate. In this book a range of leading international scholars show how this focus on standard English dialect is to the detriment of those which are non-standard or from other areas of the world. Alternative Histories of English:
· reveals the range of possible 'narratives' about how different varieties of 'Englishes' may have emerged
· places emphasis on pragmatic, sociolinguistic and discourse-oriented aspects of English rather than the traditional grammar, vocabulary and phonology
· considers diverse topics including South African English, Indian English, Southern Hemisphere Englishes, Early Modern English, women's writing, and politeness.
Presenting a fuller and richer picture of the complexity of the history of English, the contributors to Alternative Histories of English explain why English is the diverse world language it is today.

The debates surrounding "Standard English", grammar and correctness are as intense in the late 1990s as ever and extend far beyond an academic context. This text draws together international scholars who confront the issues head on. Current debates about the teaching of English in the school curriculum and more general concerns about declining standards of English are placed in an historical, social and international context. It includes: tracing the notion of "Standard English" from its roots in the practices of late-17th century grammarians, through succeeding centuries to the present day; an exploration of the definitions of "Standard English", with particular attention paid to distinctions between spoken and written English; a demonstration that "Standard English" is viewed very differently in the US, the text reveals how it is used as a marker for different forms of social discrimination, and draws on similar issues such as the English Only movement and Ebonics.

Originally published in 1925. If we are to know what intelligence is, how the brain can think, and what place mind holds in the scheme of things, we must first have a science of the sensory basis and structure of knowledge. This book supplies that need; it also serves as a short introduction to the systematic psychology of cognition.

Originally published in 1925. If we are to know what intelligence is, how the brain can think, and what place mind holds in the scheme of things, we must first have a science of the sensory basis and structure of knowledge. This book supplies that need; it also serves as a short introduction to the systematic psychology of cognition.

One of the first books to unite practice, research, and theory in addressing manhood development, Manhood Development in Urban African-American Communities aids in the construction of more holistic and progressive notions of African-American manhood. Proceeding from a psychological perspective, this text explores issues of culture and race as they impact on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of African-American boys and men. You will see how the development of self-esteem and self-image in African-American men are specifically affected by issues of gender, race, culture, religion, and oppression. You will see how the development of self-esteem and self-image in African-American men are specifically affected by issues of gender, race, culture, religion. The understanding of culture, oppression, and gender you ll gain from this book will enable you to promote the positive development of young men.Manhood Development in Urban African-American Communities covers theories, research, and intervention programs aimed at better understanding and addressing the challenges young African-American men face in urban areas. Psychologists, sociologists, social workers, and all others interested in research on youth development will be captivated by the books explorations of: the role of culture in the social development of African-American youth cluster profiles of racial socialization beliefs, giving special consideration to factors of spiritual/religious coping, extended family care, cultural pride reinforcement, and racial awareness oppression and sociopolitical development as a basis for interventions aimed at sociopolitical awareness and action findings from SQAKs (Student Questionnaire on Academic Performance, Cognitive Development, and Social Knowledge) completed by 100 participants of the RAAMUS (Responsible African-American Men United in Spirit) Academy and their implications for future youth interventions a multi-method study that explores the relationship between gender, spirituality, and spiritual well-being and several indices of religiosity, including religious participation and religious motivation a review of manhood and womanhood development in traditional African societies and the connection with contemporary developmentThe themes of gender, oppression-liberation, and culture found throughout Manhood Development in Urban African-American Communities provide a broad scope for the inclusion of a wide range of perspectives and disciplines, ranging from the psychological to the political. This broad perspective will bring to light the specific ways in which we need to change things to allow our young African-American men living in urban areas to form healthy, positive images of themselves as individuals and as part of a greater society in which they often face grave challenges.

One of the first books to unite practice, research, and theory in addressing manhood development, Manhood Development in Urban African-American Communities aids in the construction of more holistic and progressive notions of African-American manhood. Proceeding from a psychological perspective, this text explores issues of culture and race as they impact on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of African-American boys and men. You will see how the development of self-esteem and self-image in African-American men are specifically affected by issues of gender, race, culture, religion, and oppression. You will see how the development of self-esteem and self-image in African-American men are specifically affected by issues of gender, race, culture, religion. The understanding of culture, oppression, and gender you ll gain from this book will enable you to promote the positive development of young men.Manhood Development in Urban African-American Communities covers theories, research, and intervention programs aimed at better understanding and addressing the challenges young African-American men face in urban areas. Psychologists, sociologists, social workers, and all others interested in research on youth development will be captivated by the books explorations of: the role of culture in the social development of African-American youth cluster profiles of racial socialization beliefs, giving special consideration to factors of spiritual/religious coping, extended family care, cultural pride reinforcement, and racial awareness oppression and sociopolitical development as a basis for interventions aimed at sociopolitical awareness and action findings from SQAKs (Student Questionnaire on Academic Performance, Cognitive Development, and Social Knowledge) completed by 100 participants of the RAAMUS (Responsible African-American Men United in Spirit) Academy and their implications for future youth interventions a multi-method study that explores the relationship between gender, spirituality, and spiritual well-being and several indices of religiosity, including religious participation and religious motivation a review of manhood and womanhood development in traditional African societies and the connection with contemporary developmentThe themes of gender, oppression-liberation, and culture found throughout Manhood Development in Urban African-American Communities provide a broad scope for the inclusion of a wide range of perspectives and disciplines, ranging from the psychological to the political. This broad perspective will bring to light the specific ways in which we need to change things to allow our young African-American men living in urban areas to form healthy, positive images of themselves as individuals and as part of a greater society in which they often face grave challenges.

As this book intriguingly explores, for those who would make Rome great again and their victims, ideas of Roman decline and renewal have had a long and violent history. The decline of Rome has been a constant source of discussion for more than 2200 years. Everyone from American journalists in the twenty-first century AD to Roman politicians at the turn of the third century BC have used it as a tool to illustrate the negative consequences of changes in their world. Because Roman history is so long, it provides a buffet of ready-made stories of decline that can help develop the context around any snapshot. And Rome did, in fact, decline and, eventually, fall. An empire that once controlled all or part of more than 40 modern European, Asian, and African countries no longer exists. Roman prophets of decline were, ultimately, proven correct-a fact that makes their modern invocations all the more powerful. If it happened then, it could happen now. The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome tells the stories of the people who built their political and literary careers around promises of Roman renewal as well as those of the victims they blamed for causing Rome's decline. Each chapter offers the historical context necessary to understand a moment or a series of moments in which Romans, aspiring Romans, and non-Romans used ideas of Roman decline and restoration to seize power and remake the world around them. The story begins during the Roman Republic just after 200 BC. It proceeds through the empire of Augustus and his successors, traces the Roman loss of much of western Europe in the fifth century AD, and then follows Roman history as it runs through the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) until its fall in 1453. The final two chapters look at ideas of Roman decline and renewal from the fifteenth century until today. If Rome illustrates the profound danger of the rhetoric of decline, it also demonstrates the rehabilitative potential of a rhetoric that focuses on collaborative restoration, a lesson of great relevance to our world today.

Letter Writing and Language Change outlines the historical sociolinguistic value of letter analysis, both in theory and practice. The chapters in this volume make use of insights from all three 'Waves of Variation Studies', and many of them, either implicitly or explicitly, look at specific aspects of the language of the letter writers in an effort to discover how those writers position themselves and how they attempt, consciously or unconsciously, to construct social identities. The letters are largely from people in the lower strata of social structure, either to addressees of the same social status or of a higher status. In this sense the question of the use of 'standard' and/or 'nonstandard' varieties of English is in the forefront of the contributors' interest. Ultimately, the studies challenge the assumption that there is only one 'legitimate' and homogenous form of English or of any other language.

Originally published in 1919, this book examines the junction between music and psychology, particularly harmony. Watt discusses the roots of key features of music, such as consecutive fifths, pitch and musical aesthetics. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in music and the theories underlying its construction and reception.

Originally published in 1917, this book was written to provide a purely psychological analysis and theory of the process of hearing. The text begins with a discussion of auditory sensations and their attributes, before moving through areas relating to melody, the formation of scales and psychological theories of hearing. A bibliography and explanatory notes are also provided. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in experimental psychology and the history of psychology.

In Mortal Republic, prize-winning historian Edward J. Watts offers a new history of the fall of the Roman Republic that explains why Rome exchanged freedom for autocracy. For centuries, even as Rome grew into the Mediterranean's premier military and political power, its governing institutions, parliamentary rules, and political customs successfully fostered negotiation and compromise. By the 130s BC, however, Rome's leaders increasingly used these same tools to cynically pursue individual gain and obstruct their opponents. As the center decayed and dysfunction grew, arguments between politicians gave way to political violence in the streets. The stage was set for destructive civil wars--and ultimately the imperial reign of Augustus. The death of Rome's Republic was not inevitable. In Mortal Republic, Watts shows it died because it was allowed to, from thousands of small wounds inflicted by Romans who assumed that it would last forever.

Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting in the world? Why did Facebook succeed when other social networking sites failed? Did the surge in Iraq really lead to less violence? How much can CEO's impact the performance of their companies? And does higher pay incentivize people to work hard?
If you think the answers to these questions are a matter of common sense, think again. As sociologist and network science pioneer Duncan Watts explains in this provocative book, the explanations that we give for the outcomes that we observe in life--explanation that seem obvious once we know the answer--are less useful than they seem.
Drawing on the latest scientific research, along with a wealth of historical and contemporary examples, Watts shows how common sense reasoning and history conspire to mislead us into believing that we understand more about the world of human behavior than we do; and in turn, why attempts to predict, manage, or manipulate social and economic systems so often go awry.
It seems obvious, for example, that people respond to incentives; yet policy makers and managers alike frequently fail to anticipate how people will respond to the incentives they create. Social trends often seem to have been driven by certain influential people; yet marketers have been unable to identify these "influencers" in advance. And although successful products or companies always seem in retrospect to have succeeded because of their unique qualities, predicting the qualities of the next hit product or hot company is notoriously difficult even for experienced professionals.
Only by understanding how and when common sense fails, Watts argues, can we improve how we plan for the future, as well as understand the present--an argument that has important implications in politics, business, and marketing, as well as in science and everyday life.

Using a wide range of data from real-life speech situations, this introduction to politeness theory breaks away from the limitations of current models. It argues that the proper object of study in politeness theory must be "common sense" definitions of politeness and impoliteness. Richard Watts concludes that a more appropriate model, based on Bourdieu's concept of social practice, can thus be developed.

Using a wide range of data from real-life speech situations, this introduction to politeness theory breaks away from the limitations of current models. It argues that the proper object of study in politeness theory must be "common sense" definitions of politeness and impoliteness. Richard Watts concludes that a more appropriate model, based on Bourdieu's concept of social practice, can thus be developed.

The second edition of this collection of 13 original papers contains an updated introductory section detailing the significance that the original articles published in 1992 have for the further development of research into linguistic politeness into the 21st century. The original articles focus on the phenomenon of politeness in language. They present the most important problems in developing a theory of linguistic politeness, which must deal with the crucial differences between lay notions of politeness in different cultures and the term 'politeness' as a concept within a theory of linguistic politeness. The universal validity of the term itself is called into question, as are models such as those developed by Brown and Levinson, Lakoff, and Leech. New approaches are suggested. In addition to this theoretical discussion, an empirical section presents a number of case studies and research projects in linguistic politeness. These show what has been achieved within current models and what still remains to be done, in particular with reference to cross-cultural studies in politeness and differences between a Western and a non-Western approach to the subject. The publication of this second edition demonstrates that the significance of the collection is just as salient in the first decade of the new millennium as it was at the beginning of the 1990s.

This collection of 13 original papers focuses on the phenomemon of politeness in language. It presents the most important problems in developing a theory of linguistic politeness, which must deal with the crucial differences between lay notions of politeness in different cultures and the term "politeness" as a concept within a theory of lingustic politeness. The universal validity of the term itself is called into question, as are models by Brown and Levison, Lakoff and Leech. New approaches are suggested. In addition to this theoretical discussion, an empirical section presents a number of case studies and research projects in linguistic politeness. These show what has been achieved within current models and what still remains to be done, in particular with reference with cross-cultural studies in politeness and differences between a Western and a non-Western approach to the subject.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE brings to students, researchers and practitioners in all of the social and language-related sciences carefully selected book-length publications dealing with sociolinguistic theory, methods, findings and applications. It approaches the study of language in society in its broadest sense, as a truly international and interdisciplinary field in which various approaches, theoretical and empirical, supplement and complement each other. The series invites the attention of linguists, language teachers of all interests, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, historians etc. to the development of the sociology of language.

Standard English draws together the leading international scholars in the field, who confront the debates surrounding 'Standard English', grammar and correctness head-on.
These debates are as intense today as ever and extend far beyond an academic context. Current debates about the teaching of English in the school curriculum and concerns about declining standards of English are placed in a historical, social and international context. Standard English:
* explores the definitions of 'Standard English', with particular attention to distinctions between spoken and written English
* traces the idea of 'Standard English' from its roots in the late seventeenth century through to the present day.
This is an accessible, seminal work which clarifies an increasingly confused topic. It includes contributions from: Ronald Carter, Jenny Cheshire, Tony Crowley, James Milroy, Lesley Milroy and Peter Trudgill.