San Antonio College Library

From a baby's first words to the great works of literature, language plays an integral part in our lives. Yet most of us know very little about the nature of language - what it is, how we learn it, how it works. Indeed, though linguists, philosophers, psychologists, and other thinkers have made great strides in the understanding of language, little of their insight has trickled down to the general public. To remedy this, Ronald Macaulay provides in...

"Delving into the uneasy relationship between English and Spanish in the United States of America, this book approaches specific topics from a variety of perspectives, ranging from the more cultural to the more linguistic. The contributions explore the problems arising in Puerto Rico as a consequence of the unique political status of the island; the linguistic peculiarities of codeswitching, and its use in legal and medical contexts where interpreting...

Digital Discourse offers a distinctly sociolinguistic perspective on the nature of language in digital technologies. It starts by simply bringing new media sociolinguistics up to date, addressing current technologies like instant messaging, textmessaging, blogging, photo-sharing, mobile phones, gaming, social network sites, and video sharing. Chapters cover a range of communicative contexts (journalism, gaming, tourism, leisure, performance, public...

Publisher's description: The bulk of the world's population is multilingual, and one in seven Americans speak a language other than English at home. Multilinguals crave answers to question both basic and profound, questions relating to linguistic identity, schools, multiliteracy, how languages are actually learned, and why there are so many variations on individual success. Tokuhama-Espinosa combines solid research, humor, and real-life examples into...

"Offers a fascinating, definitive history of the use of Black English in literature, the performing arts, religion, and everyday conversation. The Rickfords also explore America's love/hate relationship with Black English and its role in our ongoing dialogue about why and how race matters"--Jacket.

The Chinese language, spoken by over one billion people, has undergone drastic changes over the past century. This book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the development of Chinese from the late 19th century onwards.

This collection offers fascinating studies of deaf people worldwide. Mala Kleinfeld and Noni Warner investigate variation in the use of gay, lesbian, and bisexual signs in the Deaf community; Jan Branson, Don Miller, and I Gede Marsaja, assisted by I Wayan Negara, profile a deaf village in Bali, Indonesia in which hearing people are fluent in both sign and spoken languages. Alejandro Oviedo comments on bilingual deaf education in Venezuela, and Sara...