Böcker av Florian Coulmas

Florian Coulmas diskutas la influon - tra la historio de la homaro - de dudek intelektuloj sur lingvo: sur ¿iaj uzo, evoluo kaj politika potencialo. Al tiuj "gardantoj de lingvo" apartenas famaj figuroj kiel Danto, Katerino la Granda, Gandhi kaj Zamenhof, sed ankä malpli konataj, kiel la hispana gramatikisto Antonio de Nebrija kaj la sene­gala politikisto kaj poeto Léopold Sédar Senghor. La ¿apitroj komenci¿as per bazaj informoj pri la kleruloj, analizas iliajn kontribuojn kaj fini¿as per resumo de iliaj ¿efaj pensoj pri lingvo en formo de imagitaj intervjuoj inter la ätoro kaj la intelektuloj. Mondial prezentas la verkon en la elstara traduko de Jan P. Sandel."La verko estas eleganta kun kelkaj säe dissemitaj grajnoj da humuro. Oni povas legi la libron de la unua päo ¿is la lasta, sed la interesi¿antoj pri apartaj temoj - ekzemple pri Esperanto, la revivi¿o de la hebrea ä Bahasa Indonesia - same profitas, legante nur elektitajn ¿apitrojn. Kiel ajn alpäita, la libro estas rava legäo." - Luis Lopez, Universitato de Ilinojso en ¿ikago, en la revuo "Choice""Originala kaj tre erudicia kontribuo al la kampoj de lingvopolitiko kaj lingvoplanado." - Angela Bartens en la revuo "Sociolinguistic Studies""Coulmas uzas sian in¿enian koncepton por turni nian atenton sur certajn neglektitajn aspektojn de la lingvohistorio ... La verko prezentas faskon da individuaj, idiosinkraziaj faktoj, montrante la tutan gamon, de triumfoj ¿is fiaskoj, kaj en la tuja kaj en la longa perspektivoj." - Probal Dasgupta en la revuo "Language Problems and Language Planning"

Why do we speak the way we do? What are the social factors that influence our choices of expression? This best-selling introduction to the study of language and society encourages students to think about these fundamental questions, asking how and why we select from the vast range of different words, accents, varieties and languages available to us. In this new and updated edition, students are taken step-by-step through the analysis of linguistic expressions, speech varieties and languages in complex settings. Enriched with recent findings from different languages and speech communities around the world, this comprehensive textbook equips students with knowledge of the main concepts and gives them a coherent view of the complex interaction of language and society. * 'Questions for Discussion' help students understand how speakers' choices are conditioned by the society in which they live * New to this edition is a rich repertoire of online resources and further reading, enabling students to investigate more deeply and advance their learning * Includes a topical new chapter on research ethics, guiding students on the ethical questions involved in sociolinguistic research.

How does writing relate to speech? What impact does it have on social organisation and development? How do unwritten languages differ from those that have a written form and tradition? This book is a general account of the place of writing in society. Drawing on contemporary and historical examples, from clay tablets to touchscreen displays, the book explores the functions of writing and written language, analysing its consequences for language, society, economy and politics. It examines the social causes of illiteracy, demonstrating that institutions of central importance to modern society are built upon writing and written texts, and are characterised by specific forms of communication. It explores the social dimensions of spelling and writing reform, as well as of digital literacy, a new mode of expression and communication posing novel challenges to the student of language in society.

Presents an analysis of one of the most pressing challenges facing Japan: population decline and ageing. This work argues that social ageing is a phenomenon that follows in the wake of industrialization, urbanization and social modernization, bringing about changes in values, institutions, social structures, and technology and culture.