16.3653, Books: Sociolinguistics, English: Battistella

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LINGUIST List: Vol-16-3653. Thu Dec 22 2005. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 16.3653, Books: Sociolinguistics, English: Battistella

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1)
Date: 20-Dec-2005
From: Jared Wright < jared.wright at oup.com >
Subject: Bad Language: Battistella 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 09:49:11
From: Jared Wright < jared.wright at oup.com >
Subject: Bad Language: Battistella 
 



Title: Bad Language 
Subtitle: Are Some Words Better than Others? 
Publication Year: 2005 
Publisher: Oxford University Press
	   http://www.oup.com/us
	

Book URL: http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Linguistics/TheEnglishLanguage/?view=usa&ci=0195172485 


Author: Edwin L. Battistella, Southern Oregon University

Hardback: ISBN: 0195172485 Pages: 240 Price: U.S. $ 29.95


Abstract:

Is today's language at an all-time low? Are pronunciations like "cawfee"
and "chawklit" bad English? Is slang like "my bad" or "hook up" improper?
Is it incorrect to mix English and Spanish, as in "Yo quiero Taco Bell"?
Can you write Who do you trust? rather than Whom do you trust? Linguist
Edwin Battistella takes a hard look at traditional notions of bad language,
arguing that they are often based in sterile conventionality.

Examining grammar and style, cursing, slang, and political correctness,
regional and ethnic dialects, and foreign accents and language mixing,
Battistella discusses the strong feelings evoked by language variation,
from objections to the pronunciation "NU-cu-lar" to complaints about
bilingual education. He explains the natural desire for uniformity in
writing and speaking and traces the association of mainstream norms to
ideas about refinement, intelligence, education, character, national unity
and political values. Battistella argues that none of these qualities is
inherently connected to language.

It is tempting but wrong, Battistella argues, to think of slang, dialects
and nonstandard grammar as simply breaking the rules of good English.
Instead, we should view language as made up of alternative forms of
orderliness adopted by speakers depending on their purpose. Thus we can
study the structure and context of nonstandard language in order to
illuminate and enrich traditional forms of language, and make policy
decisions based on an informed engagement.

Re-examining longstanding and heated debates, _Bad Language_ will appeal to
a wide spectrum of readers engaged and interested in the debate over what
constitutes proper language. 



Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)


Written In: English  (eng)
	
See this book announcement on our website: 
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=17692


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