Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk (Routledge Linguistics Classics) - Softcover

Carter, Ronald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415699835 ISBN 13: 9780415699839

Publisher: Routledge, 2015

Synopsis

Language and Creativity has become established as a pivotal text for courses in English Language, Linguistics and Literacy.

Creativity in language has conventionally been regarded as the preserve of institutionalised discourses such as literature and advertising, and individual gifted minds. In this ground-breaking book, bestselling author Ronald Carter explores the idea that creativity, far from being simply a property of exceptional people, is an exceptional property of all people.

Drawing on a range of real examples of everyday conversations and speech, from flatmates in a student house and families on holiday to psychotherapy sessions and chat-lines, the book argues that creativity is an all-pervasive feature of everyday language. Using close analysis of naturally occurring language, taken from a unique 5 million word corpus, Language and Creativity reveals that speakers commonly make meanings in a variety of creative ways, in a wide range of social contexts and for a diverse set of reasons.

This Routledge Linguistics Classic is here reissued with a new preface from the author, covering a range of key topics from e-language and internet discourse to English language teaching and world Englishes. Language and Creativity continues to build on the previous theories of creativity, offering a radical contribution to linguistic, literary and cultural theory. A must for anyone interested in the creativity of our everyday speech.

About this title

About the Author

Ronald Carter is Research Professor of Modern English Language in the School of English at the University of Nottingham, UK. He is the series co-editor of the Routledge Applied Linguistics and Routledge Introductions to Applied Linguistics series. His recent books include: How to Analyse Texts (Routledge, 2016), Spoken Corpus Linguistics (Routledge, 2013) and Vocabulary (reissued as a Routledge Linguistics Classic, 2012).

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415699835
• ISBN 13: 9780415699839
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288