Subject: new books in general linguistics

different games , different rules : why americans and japanese misunderstand each other haru yamada , university of westminster , uk with a foreword by deborah tannen japan and the united states are in closer contact politically and economically than ever before , yet in many ways our nations are as far from mutual understanding as ever . misconceptions and miscommunications between east and west continue to plague this important relationship , frustrating the best efforts of both cultures to work together . stereotypes abound : americans see japanese as evasive and inscrutable , while japanese see americans as pushy and selfish . what causes these persistent misunderst andings , and what can be done to avoid them ? fluent in both languages and at home in both cultures , haru yamada brings an insiders perspective and a linguists training to this difficult question , illuminating the many reasons why americans and japanese misunderstand one another . social organization , she explains , shapes the way we talk . because american and japanese cultures value different kinds of social relationships , they play different language games with different sets of rules . in america , for instance , aesop 's fable about the grasshopper and the ants ends with the ants scorning the foolhardy grasshopper . in japan , however , the story has a very different ending : the ants invite the grasshopper in to share their winter meal , as they appreciate how his singing spurred them on during their summer labors . in the difference between these two endings , argues yamada , lies an important lesson : americans , because of their unique political history , value independence and individuality , while japanese value mutual dependency and interconnectedness . the language of both cultures is designed to display and reinforce these values so that words , phrases and expressions in one language can have completely different connotations in another , leading to all manner of misunderstanding . yamada provides numerous examples . in japan , for instance , silence is valued and halting speech is considered more honest and thoughtful than fluid speech , while in america forthright , polished speech is valued . likewise , the japanese use word order to express emphasis , while americans use vocal stress : a listener unaware of this difference may easily misunderstand the import of a sentence . in a lucid and insightful discussion , yamada outlines the basic differences between japanese and american english and analyzes a number of real-life business and social interactions in which these differences led to miscommunication . by understanding how and why each culture speaks in the way that it does , yamada shows , we can learn to avoid frustrating and damaging failures of communication . different games , different rules is essential reading for anyone who travels to or communicates regularly with japan , whether they are scientists , scholars , tourists , or business executives . but as deborah tannen notes in her foreword to the book , even those who will never travel to japan , do business with a japanese company , or talk to a person from that part of the world , will find the insights of this book illuminating and helpful , because the greatest benefit that comes of understanding another culture is a better and deeper understanding of one 's own . april 1997 192 pp . 0-19 - 509488 - 3 $ 24 . 00 oxford university press an introduction to the languages of the world anatole v . lyovin , university of hawaii at manoa " the author succeeds in covering a broad range of important and interesting information , and i am not aware of any other work that could serve as an all-round textbook for a course on the languages of the world . " - - bernard comrie , university of southern california , author of the world 's major languages " . . . clearly exhibits the author 's very considerable erudition in several language areas . " - - joseph grimes , cornell university the only textbook of its kind , an introduction to the languages of the world is designed to introduce beginning linguistics students , who now typically start their study with little background in languages , to the variety of the languages of the world . it is ideal for use in courses where students have mastered the basic principles of linguistics but lack background in the broad range of language phenomena found in the world 's languages , such as vowel harmony and ergative constructions . it offers students an opportunity to explore , at various levels , structures of very different , highly interesting languages without necessarily possessing a speaking or reading knowledge of these languages . lyovin explains the classification of languages , discussing not only genetic classification but typological and sociolinguistic classification as well . he follows this with an explication of writing systems . a chapter is devoted to each of the world 's continents , with in-depth analyses of representative languages of europe , asia , africa , oceania , and america , and a separate chapter covers pidgins and creoles . helpful features include an appendix of nineteen maps , student exercises , and suggestions for further reading . march 1997 512 pp . ; 18 linecuts , 19 maps 0-19 - 508116 - 1 paper $ 35 . 00 oxford university press linguistic change in french rebecca posner , oxford university rebecca posner explores the history of the french language in all its manifestations . within the framework of modern linguistic theory , she concentrates on how french acquired its distinctive identity and how different varieties of french relate to each other . this book richly illustrates the more technical aspects of linguistic change , and sets evidence of social history against the way the language has changed over time . december 1997 536 pp . ; 31 tables 0-19 - 824036 - 8 $ 120 . 00 oxford university press a practical dictionary of german usage k . b . beaton , university of sydney one of the most difficult tasks confronting the english speaker learning german is that of finding exactly the right german word to translate an english word in a particular context . many common english words have several german equivalents . thus it is all too easy to find yourself saying the equivalent of have you extinguished the trash ? instead of have you taken out the trash ? bilingual dictionaries list equivalents , but give little or no information about their use . the articles in this practical dictionary are much longer than those to be found in a bilingual dictionary , and the number of words treated is fewer , with a concentration on those which cause particular difficulties for speakers of english . january 1997 944 pp . 0-19 - 824002 - 3 $ 153 . 00 oxford university press language teacher education john roberts , university of reading ( an arnold publication ) this book is an introduction to the training and development of language teachers . the author provides an overview of the theories of how trainees learn to teach , supported by case studies of various training programs and discussions of the fundamental issues involved . 1998 ( paper 1997 ) 352 pp . 0-340 - 64625 - x paper $ 19 . 95 0-340 - 64626 - 8 cloth $ 70 . 00 oxford university press a student ' s dictionary of language and linguistics r . l . trask , university of sussex ( an arnold publication ) " its coverage of the terminology of linguistics as a mature academic discipline is thorough and informative . a field that , although it deals with a phenomenon all of us enagage in daily has developed a vocabulary as abstract as the vocabulary used to describe fine wines or beautiful music , needs good dictionaries . it has another in trask 's student 's dictionary . " - - rettig on reference the terminology used in linguistics can be confusing for those encountering the subject for the first time . this dictionary provides accessible and authoritative explanations of the terms and concepts currently in use in all the major areas of language and linguistics , ( pronunciation , word structure , sentence structure , meaning ) as well as in the study of the social , anthropological , psychological and neurological aspects of language . 1997 256 pp . 0-340 - 65266 - 7 paper $ 16 . 95 0-340 - 65267 - 5 cloth $ 60 . 00 oxford university press the concise oxford dictionary of linguistics p . h . matthews , cambridge university ( oxford paperback reference ) the concise oxford dictionary of linguistics is the most authoritative and up-to - date dictionary of linguistics available . written by distinguished and highly respected scholar peter matthews , this handy reference contains over 3 , 000 concise and informative entries on everything from phonetics to formal semantics . including world-wide coverage of languages and language families , the concise provides grammatical terms in english as well as grammatical categories in other languages . matthews also offers extensive coverage of the theory of language , language history , and important ideas and figures in linguistics . a directory of symbols is included for quick and easy reference . with entries ranging from epiglottal and morpheme to austronesian and navajo , the concise oxford dictionary of linguistics is the ideal reference for anyone with an interest in language and its study . january 1998 432 pp . 0-19 - 280008 - 6 paper $ 13 . 95 oxford university press lexicography and physicke : the record of sixteenth - century english medical terminology r . w . mcconchie , university of helsinki ( oxford studies in lexicography and lexicology ) medical practitioners of the sixteenth century had their own body of special terms , just like the doctors of this century . mcconchie here examines medical terminology used in a selection of thirteen medical works published between 1530 and 1612 , and compares it with the treatment of these words in the oed and other dictionaries of today . his study reveals errors , omissions , and biases that raise important questions for lexicograp hical tools in general . december 1997 464 pp . 0-19 - 823630 - 1 $ 100 . 00 oxford university press introduction to indo-european linguistics oswald j . l . szemere9nyi , university of freiburg this translation of the german edition first published in 1970 , introduces the standard text on the comparative-historical method to an english - speaki ng audience . after surveying the general principles of diachronic-comparati ve linguistics , the book uses these principles to analyze the phonological and morphological structure of the indo - european language group . each section of the book has a detailed bibliography , so readers can progress from the general overview to a more in-depth examination of particular topics . april 1997 390 pp . 0-19 - 824015 - 5 $ 98 . 00 oxford university press inside language vivian j . cook ( an arnold publication ) what makes human language unique ? how did language begin ? this book is a wide-ranging and stimulating introduction to language which students and general readers alike will read for enjoyment as well as instruction . it explores the most intriguing questions about the nature of human language , drawing on basic insights that have been developed by linguistics this century . 1997 304 pp . 0-340 - 60761 - 0 paper $ 22 . 95 0-340 - 69 ' 0 - 7 cloth $ 70 . 00 oxford university press john palsgrave as renaissance linguist : a pioneer in vernacular language description gabriele stein ( oxford studies in lexicography and lexicology ) when henry viii charged john palsgrave with teaching his sister french , there were no dictionaries or grammars of either french or english . in lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse , a vast work of over 1000 pages , this brilliant priest and linguist , with a dramatist 's eye for contempora ry life and an ear for colloquial idiom , provided the first bilingual dictionary and contrastive grammar of the two languages . stein presents a detailed study of his achievement . october 1997 528 pp . 0-19 - 823505 - 4 $ 145 . 00 oxford university press principles and parameters : an introduction to syntactic theory peter w . culicover , ohio state university ( oxford textbooks in linguistics ) this authoritative new survey shows readers how specific methodological assumptions underlie the core analyses on which syntactic theory is based . the author , an internationally respected figure in the field , gives extensive treatment of government and binding ( gb ) theory , and summarizes the major proposals and results of case theory , theta theory , x ' theory , binding theory , the theory of a - and a ' movement , locality conditions , and the theory of logical form ( lf ) . he also provides an up-to - date introduction to a number of more recent proposals , including chomsky 's minminalist program , larsonian shells , and kaynes 's antisymmetry theory . the most coherent and organized account of syntactic theory currently available , this volume is further enhanced by carefully selected and extensive sets of exercises , annotated suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter , and a comprehensive glossary of technical terms . february 1997 464 pp . 0-19 - 870014 - 8 paper $ 28 . 95 oxford university press for more information about linguistics titles from oxford university press : e-mail : linguistics @ oup-usa . org or visit the oxford university press usa web site : http : / / www . oup-usa . org oxford university press usa
