Travelling this summer? These accessible, entertaining books about language make good summer reading, says our columnist
Lynne Murphy is a linguist at the University of Sussex, married to a British husband and raising British children. But she is American, and years of experiencing polite commentary about her native English in her adopted home prompted her to write this myth-shredding book about the relationship between British and American English. She is not a partisan of either, but in her close examinations of beloved beliefs she finds some that hold and many that do not.
As a result, linguists like to investigate what functions and causes these behaviours have. A great introduction to the study is “How We Talk” by N.J. Enfield, who describes what he calls the “conversational machine”. Speakers take turns with only split-second pauses, which requires them to pay careful attention to each other; “um” and “uh” thus play a role in holding the floor.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Perfectly good food going to waste on UK farms as predicted before BrexitHigh quality food is going to waste on farms across the UK – as some food banks run out of stock. A lack of workers mean that crops are sitting unpicked and are eventually being ploughed back into the land, the head of the NFU has warned.
Read more »
Columnist apologises after being accused of trying to out Rebel WilsonAndrew Hornery, gossip columnist for Sydney Morning Herald, says he regrets how he handled the story
Read more »
Knives Out 2 confirmed to be titled Glass OnionKnives Out 2 reveals unique title inspired by Agatha Christie
Read more »
The best collagen supplements according to an expert (and why you should consider taking one)Including Jennifer Aniston's favourite collagen supplement.
Read more »
“I’m a Jurassic Park superfan – but DeWanda Wise is the saving grace of the final movie”The final instalment in the Jurassic World franchise has landed, and with it comes a standout character JurassicWorldDominion
Read more »