HomeUncover the Hidden Cultural Legacy of English by Anna Wierzbicka 2010 Trade Paperback
Uncover the Hidden Cultural Legacy of English by Anna Wierzbicka 2010 Trade Paperback
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Language:EnglishISBN-13:9780195368017Subject Area:Philosophy, Language Arts & Disciplinesgtin13:9780195368017Publication Name:Experience, Evidence, and Sense : the Hidden Cultural Legacy of EnglishDewey Decimal:420.1/43Number of Pages:472 PagesLC Classification Number:PE1585.W54 2009LCCN:2009-000574Synopsis:This book is based on two ideas: first, that any language--English no less than any other-represents a universe of meaning, shaped by the history and experience of the men and women who have created it, and second, that in any language certain culture--specific words act as linchpins for whole networks of meanings, and that penetrating the meanings of those key words can therefore open our eyes to an entire cultural universe. In this book Anna Wierzbicka demonstrates that three uniquely English words--evidence, experience, and sense--are exactly such linchpins. Using a rigorous plain language approach to meaning analysis, she unpacks the dense cultural meanings of these key words, disentangles their multiple meanings, and traces their origins back to the tradition of British empiricism. In so doing she reveals much about cultural attitudes embedded not only in British and American English, but also English as a global language. An interdisciplinary work, Experience, Evidence, and Sense will be of interest to both scholars and students in linguistics and English, as well as historians of ideas, sociologists, anthropologists, literary scholars, and scholars of communication., This book is based on two ideas: first, that any language - English no less than any other - represents a universe of meaning, shaped by the history and experience of the men and women who have created it, and second, that in any language certain culture - specific words act as linchpins for whole networks of meanings, and that penetrating the meanings of those key words can therefore open our eyes to an entire cultural universe. In this book Anna Wierzbicka demonstrates that three uniquely English words - evidence, experience, and sense - are exactly such linchpins. Using a rigorous plain language approach to meaning analysis, she unpacks the dense cultural meanings of these key words, disentangles their multiple meanings, and traces their origins back to the tradition of British empiricism. In so doing she reveals much about cultural attitudes embedded not only in British and American English, but also English as a global language. An interdisciplinary work, Experience, Evidence, and Sense will be of interest to both scholars and students in linguistics and English, as well as historians of ideas, sociologists, anthropologists, literary scholars, and scholars of communication., Anna Wierzbicka demonstrates that three uniquely English words--evidence, experience, and sense--are linchpins for whole networks of meanings, and that penetrating the meanings of such key words can open our eyes to an entire cultural universe., This book is based on two ideas: first, that any language--English no less than any other-represents a universe of meaning, shaped by the history and experience of the men and women who have created it, and second, that in any language certain culture--specific words act as linchpins for whole networks of meanings, and that penetrating the meanings of those key words can therefore open our eyes to an entire cultural universe. In this book Anna Wierzbickademonstrates that three uniquely English words--evidence, experience, and sense--are exactly such linchpins. Using a rigorous plain language approach to meaning analysis, she unpacks the dense cultural meaningsof these key words, disentangles their multiple meanings, and traces their origins back to the tradition of British empiricism. In so doing she reveals much about cultural attitudes embedded not only in British and American English, but also English as a global language. An interdisciplinary work, Experience, Evidence, and Sense will be of interest to both scholars and students in linguistics and English, as well as historians of ideas, sociologists,anthropologists, literary scholars, and scholars of communication.Subject:Language, Linguistics / Semantics, Linguistics / GeneralAuthor:Anna WierzbickaItem Length:9.1 inPublication Year:2010Intended Audience:Scholarly & ProfessionalPublisher:Oxford University Press, Incorporatedbrand:Oxford University Press, IncorporatedType:TextbookTable Of Content:Part I. Introduction1. Making the Familiar Look ForeignPart II. Experience and Evidence2. Experience: An English Key Word and Cultural Theme3. Evidence: Words, Ideas, and Cultural PracticesPart III. Sense4. The Discourse of Sense and the Legacy of "British Empiricism"5. A Sense of Humor, a Sense of Self and Similar Expressions6. A Strong Sense, a Deep Sense and Similar Expressions7. Moral Sense8. Common Sense9. From Having Sense to Making SensePart IV. Phraseology, Semantics and Corpus Linguistics10. Investigating English Phraseology with Two Tools: NSM and GoogleNotesReferencesAppendixIndexItem Width:6.1 inItem Height:1.4 inFormat:Trade PaperbackISBN-10:0195368010Dewey Edition:22Item Weight:25.2 OzReviews:"Focusing on a handful of English words whose meaning seems obvious to native speakers, and using a brand of semantic analysis accessible to any intelligent lay person, Anna Wierzbicka reveals the empiricist worldview embedded in the English lexicon and shows how mystifyingly foreign English can thus be to foreigners. As an exploration in historical semantics, Wierzbicka's new book deserves a place beside Raymond Williams'sKeywords."--J.M. Coetzee, University of Adelaide, Nobel Laureate in Literature, "Focusing on a handful of English words whose meaning seems obvious to native speakers, and using a brand of semantic analysis accessible to any intelligent lay person, Anna Wierzbicka reveals the empiricist worldview embedded in the English lexicon and shows how mystifyingly foreign English can thus be to foreigners. As an exploration in historical semantics, Wierzbicka's new book deserves a place beside Raymond Williams's Keywords."--J.M. Coetzee,University of Adelaide, Nobel Laureate in Literature, Focusing on a handful of English words whose meaning seems obvious to native speakers, and using a brand of semantic analysis accessible to any intelligent lay person, Anna Wierzbicka reveals the empiricist worldview embedded in the English lexicon and shows how mystifyingly foreign English can thus be to foreigners. As an exploration in historical semantics, Wierzbicka's new book deserves a place beside Raymond Williams's Keywords .--J.M. Coetzee, University of Adelaide, Nobel Laureate in Literature|9780195368017|, "Focusing on a handful of English words whose meaning seems obvious to native speakers, and using a brand of semantic analysis accessible to any intelligent lay person, Anna Wierzbicka reveals the empiricist worldview embedded in the English lexicon and shows how mystifyingly foreign English can thus be to foreigners. As an exploration in historical semantics, Wierzbicka's new book deserves a place beside Raymond Williams's Keywords."--J.M. Coetzee, University of Adelaide, Nobel Laureate in Literature
This book is a fascinating deep dive into how language shapes culture and thought. Wierzbicka’s insights make English’s hidden influences clear and engaging. A must-read for anyone curious about linguistics and cultural connections—thought-provoking and accessible!
This book is a fascinating deep dive into how language shapes culture and thought. Wierzbicka’s insights make English’s hidden influences clear and engaging. A must-read for anyone curious about linguistics and cultural connections—thought-provoking and accessible!