new nsm book

Here is a forward of a post from the linguist list and nsm list you all may= find interesting.

-bill

(Seen on the LINGUIST list)

Title: English Sub= title: Meaning and Culture Published: 2006 Publisher: Oxford University Pre= ss &nbs=3D p; http://www.oup.com/us

Book URL: http://www.ou= p.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=3D3D9780195174755

Author: Anna Wierzbicka

Paperback=

ISBN: 0195174755 Pages: 368 Price: U.K. =3DA3 17.99 Comment: ISBN-13: 97= 8-0-19-517475-5 Abstract:

It is widely accepted that English is the first =

truly global language and lingua franca. Its dominance has even led to it= s use and adaptation by local communities for their own purposes and need= s. One might see English in this context as being simply a neutral, univer= sal vehicle for the expression of local thoughts and ideas. In fact, Engl= ish words and phrases have embedded in them a wealth of cultural baggage t= hat is invisible to most native speakers. Anna Wierzbicka, a distinguishe= d linguist known for her theories of semantics, has written the first book= that connects the English language with what she terms “Anglo” culture.

= Wierzbicka points out that language and culture are not just interconnecte= d, but inseparable. This is evident to non-speakers trying to learn puzzl= ing English expressions. She uses original research to investigate the “un= iverse of meaning” within the English language (both grammar and vocabula= ry) and places it in historical and geographical perspective. For example,= she looks at the history of the terms “right” and “wrong” and how with t= he influence of the Reformation “right” came to mean “correct.” She examin= es the ideas of “fairness” and “reasonableness” and shows that, far from = being cultural universals, they are in fact unique creations of modern En= glish. She does the same to other English words and phrases, as well as di= ssecting the way English countries like Singapore and Tasmania have embed= ded their own values into their adapted versions. This engrossing and fasc= inating work of scholarship should appeal not only to linguists and other= s concerned with language and culture, but the large group of scholars stu= dying English and English as a second language.