Vague Language Explored

Vague Language Explored
Author: J. Cutting
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2007-01-30
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0230627420

Vague language ('bags of time', 'doing stuff', 'and all that') is an aspect of communicative competence of considerable social importance. This book examines its function. It spans genre analysis, critical discourse analysis, psycholinguistics and cross-cultural sociolinguistics, and suggests applications in TEFL and directions for future research.

Vague Language

Vague Language
Author: Joanna Channell
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 252
Release: 1994
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN:

This is a major descriptive study of linguistic vagueness. It argues that strategies for being vague constitute a key aspect of the communicative competence of the native speaker of English.

Communicating through Vague Language

Communicating through Vague Language
Author: Peyman G.P. Sabet
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2016-04-29
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1137486384

This book is a comparative study of vague language based on naturally occurring data of L1 and L2 speakers in academic settings. It explores how L2 learners have diverse and culturally specific needs for vague language compared with L1s, and are generally vaguer.

Corpus Pragmatics

Corpus Pragmatics
Author: Karin Aijmer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2015
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1107015049

The first handbook to survey and expand the burgeoning field of corpus pragmatics, the intersection of pragmatics and corpus linguistics.

Vague Language, Elasticity Theory and the Use of ‘Some’

Vague Language, Elasticity Theory and the Use of ‘Some’
Author: Grace Qiao Zhang
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2018-06-28
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1350029602

In Vague Language, Elasticity Theory and the Use of 'Some', Nguyet Nhu Le and Grace Qiao Zhang present the first comprehensive study of the word 'some', focusing on its elasticity. In particular, they consider how 'some' is both a quantifier and a qualifier, has positive or negative meanings, and has local and global interpretations. They show that the word is used across a meaning continuum and can be used to convey a range of states, including approximation, uncertainty, politeness, and evasion. Finally, they demonstrate that the functions of 'some' are also multi-directional and non-categorical, consisting of four major functions (right amount of information, mitigation, withholding information, and discourse management). Based on naturally-occurring classroom data of L1 (American English) and L2 (Chinese- and Vietnamese-speaking learners of English) speakers, Vague Language shows that L2 speakers used 'some' more than L1 speakers and explores the significance of this, particularly taking account of speakers' language ability and cultural backgrounds. While this book focuses on the single word 'some', the authors' discussion has important implications for language studies more generally, as they call for a rethinking of our approaches to language study and more attention to its elasticity.

Elastic Language

Elastic Language
Author: Grace Q. Zhang
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2015-08-27
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 1107028442

Language is like a slingshot, stretching for various communicative targets. This book reveals the art of purposive and powerful language stretching.

The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Pragmatics

The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Pragmatics
Author: Istvan Kecskes
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 1094
Release: 2022-10-20
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 110887939X

Intercultural pragmatics addresses one of the major issues of human communication in the globalized world: how do people interact with each other in a language other than their native tongue, and with native speakers of the language of interaction? Bringing together a globally-representative team of scholars, this Handbook provides an authoritative overview to this fascinating field of study, as well as a theoretical framework. Chapters are grouped into 5 thematic areas: theoretical foundation, key issues in Intercultural Pragmatics research, the interface between Intercultural Pragmatics and related disciplines, Intercultural Pragmatics in different types of communication, and language learning. It addresses key concepts and research issues in Intercultural Pragmatics, and will trigger fresh lines of enquiry and generate new research questions. Comprehensive in its scope, it is essential reading not only for scholars of pragmatics, but also of discourse analysis, cognitive linguistics, communication, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, and second language teaching and learning.

Complex Words

Complex Words
Author: Lívia Körtvélyessy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2020-10-08
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1108490298

Drawing on innovative research, the book reveals the wealth and breadth of the study of word-formation, both theoretically and empirically.

Elasticity in Healthcare Communication

Elasticity in Healthcare Communication
Author: Grace Qiao Zhang
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2022-08-18
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1108842399

Based on Chinese and English online data, this book discusses elasticity in health communication from a cross-cultural perspective.

African Perspectives on the Teaching and Learning of English in Higher Education

African Perspectives on the Teaching and Learning of English in Higher Education
Author: Alexandra Esimaje
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2023-05-23
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1000872246

This book brings together the work of African scholars and educators directly involved in initiatives to improve the teaching and learning of English in higher education across Africa. Offering alternative perspectives across different African countries with examples of decolonised practice in research, the book provides a critical discussion and examples of successful practice in the teaching of English in Africa. Each chapter of the book reports on a specific context and a specific teaching and/or learning initiative in higher education, with emphasis on comparability of information and on clear evaluation and critical analysis of the intervention. The editors offer a thoughtful comparison of different methods, strategies and results to provide an authoritative reference to effective strategies for English teaching and learning. The book paints a cohesive picture of the field of English language teaching in Africa and will be of great interest to researchers, scholars and postgraduate students in the areas of applied linguistics, English teaching and comparative education.