Linguistics

Based on the acclaimed Oxford Companion to the English Language, this is the most compact, authoritative, and up-to-date source of information about the English language. With contributions from more than 130 experts worldwide, the language is viewed from an international perspective, covering Cockney to Creole, Aboriginal English to South Asian English. The historical range of the work is large - Beowulf rubs shoulders with Ebonics, Chaucer sits alongside Chomsky, Latin, and the World Wide Web. Substantial entries are given on key subjects such as American and British differences, computing, etymology, pidgin, poetry, sexism, Shakespeare's language, and slang. Features include pieces on place-names, borrowings from other languages, the evolution of the alphabet, and the story of the expression 'OK'.

Over 3,250 entries

The third edition of this dictionary is an authoritative and invaluable reference source covering every aspect of its wide-ranging field. It spans grammar, phonetics, semantics, languages (spoken and written), dialects, and sociolinguistics. Clear examples—and diagrams where appropriate—help to convey the meanings of even the most technical terms. It also incorporates entries on key scholars of linguistics, both ancient and modern, summarising their specialisms and achievements.

With existing entries thoroughly revised and updated, and the addition of 100 new entries, this new edition expands its coverage of semantics, as well as recently emerging terminology within, for example, syntactic theory and sociolinguistics.

Wide-ranging and with clear definitions, it is the ideal reference for students and teachers in language-related courses, and a great introduction to linguistics for the general reader with an interest in language and its study.

This dictionary comprises authoritative, highly accessible entries on the study of language, language families and history, and key figures in linguistics. These entries are supplementary to other linguistics titles in the Quick Reference collection, and are written by specialist authors. The dictionary is an ongoing project, and more entries will be added over time.

The Encyclopedia of Rhetoric is a comprehensive survey of one of the Western world's oldest disciplines. Its 150 entries, written by leading scholars, bring together expertise in classical studies, philosophy, literature, literary theory, cultural studies, speech, and communications in a comprehensive treatment of the art of persuasion. The Encyclopedia is the most wide-ranging reference work of its kind, combining theory, history, and practice, with a special emphasis on public speaking, performance, and communication.

2004 Reference Reviews Top Ten Print Reference Source

2004 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Second Edition

850 entries

The Encyclopedia encompasses the full range of topics in linguistics, including such areas as historical, comparative, formal, mathematical, functional, philosophical, and sociolinguistics. Special attention is given to interrelations within these branches of the field and to relations of linguistics with other disciplines. This interdisciplinary focus makes the encyclopedia an invaluable resource not only for linguistics but also for scholars working in the fields of computer science, mathematics, philosophy, the social and behavioral sciences, and literary studies.

The Encyclopedia of Semiotics is a comprehensive reference guide to concepts in semiotics, sign theory, and cultural studies. Three hundred entries by leading scholars in a variety of fields—from anthropology and literary theory to linguistics and philosophy—survey the study of signs and symbols in human culture. These articles cover key concepts, theories, theorists, schools of thought, and issues in communications, cognition, and cultural theory. From introductions to Barthes and Bakhtin to analyses of gossip and myth, this is a valuable reference for students, scholars, or anyone interested in language, symbols, and the transmission of information. Clear, well-written entries make the scholarship accessible to both experts and nonspecialists, and the text is complimented by twenty color illustrations.