Languages and Their Speakers

Languages and Their Speakers

• Page Count: 312
• Dimensions: 6 x 9 inches
• Illustrations: 17

<p><i>Languages and Their Speakers</i> provides an introduction both to languages themselves and to their social functions. Written especially for nonlinguistic majors, the book gives insight into the meaning, value, and function of language within a culture and into the ways language behavior varies and changes. Each chapter of the book discusses what it means to be a speaker of a particular language, and puts the language in context among the languages of the world.</p><p>The book explores how people know their languages—know them as grammatical systems and know them as part of a cultural fabric. The authors discuss the ways speakers, as opposed to linguists, view a language. They consider what one must know in order to be a good speaker of a particular language; the constraints placed on communication by the culture in which it takes place; how social relationships influence language; and how the use of language can, in turn, influence social relationships.</p><p><i>Languages and Their Speakers</i> will be of interest to students of linguistics, anthropology, and those concerned about the use of language in its cultural context.</p><p>This volume is complemented by a second volume entitled <i>Languages and Their Status</i>, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.</p>