The Language Web: The Power and Problem of Words - The 1996 BBC Reith Lectures (Reith Lectures, 1996.) - Hardcover

Aitchison, Jean

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521573858 ISBN 13: 9780521573856

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1996

Synopsis

Language is like a vast spider's web. In this volume Jean Aitchison explores the different facets of this web. She begins with the cobweb of false worries which surrounds language. She then discusses how language evolved in the human species, how children acquire it, and how educated English speakers remember 50,000 or more words. Finally, she argues that people are right to be concerned about language, though not in the ways traditionally assumed. This is the text of the 1996 BBC Reith lectures, slightly revised for publication, with illustrations and full references, and an afterword which looks at the reception of the lectures.

About this title

Book Description

Language is like a vast spider's web. In this volume Jean Aitchison explores the different facets of this web, ranging from its biological nature and the way in which language is acquired by children to the way the web has aided language evolution. This is the text of the 1996 BBC Reith lectures, with illustrations, notes, and an afterword which looks at the reception of the lectures.

From the Back Cover

Language is like a vast spider's web. In this volume Aitchison explores the different facets of this web. This is the text of the 1996 BBC Reith lectures, slightly revised for publication, with illustrations and full references, and an Afterword which looks at the reception of the lectures.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521573858
• ISBN 13: 9780521573856
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 153