You may have to register before you can download all our books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
"Portraits of the L2 User treats second language users in their own right rather than as failed native speakers. It describes a range of psychological and linguistic approaches to diverse topics about L2 users. It thus provides an overview of current second language acquisition theories, results and methods, seen from a common perspective."--Jacket.
Why does the universe exist and what are you supposed to do in it? This question has been addressed by religions since time immemorial, but popular answers often fail to account for obvious aspects of reality. Indeed, if God knows everything, why do we need to learn through pain and suffering? If God is omnipotent, why are we needed to do good? If the universe is fundamentally good, why are wars, crime, and injustice all around us? In modern society, orthodox science takes the rational high-ground and tackles these contradictions by denying the very need for, and the existence of, meaning. Indeed, many of us implicitly accept the notion that rationality somehow contradicts spirituality. That is a modern human tragedy, not only for its insidiousness, but for the fact that it is simply not true. In this book, the author constructs a coherent and logical argument for the meaning of existence, informed by science itself. A framework is laid out wherein all aspects of human existence have a logical, coh
Interpreting has been a neglected area since the late 1970s. Sylvie Lambert and Barbara Moser-Mercer have attempted to give a new impulse to academic research in print with this collection of 30 articles discussing various aspects of interpreting grouped in 3 sections: I. Pedagogical issues, II. Simultaneous interpretation, III. Neuropsychological research.Being a professional interpreter may not be sufficient to explain what interpretation is all about and how it should be practised and taught. The purpose of this collection of reports on non-arbitrary, empirical research of simultaneous and sign-language interpretation, designed to bridge the gap between vocational and scientific aspects of an interpreter s skills, is to show that the study of conference interpretation, by way of scientific experimental methods, as tedious and speculative as they may often appear, is bound to contribute significantly to general knowledge in this field and have tangible and practical repercussions. The contributors are specialists from all over the world. Introduction by Barbara Moser-Mercer.
Collecting the work of linguists, psychologists, neuroscientists, archaeologists, artificial intelligence researchers and philosophers this volume presents a richly varied picture of the nature and function of mental states. Starting from questions about the cognitive capacities of the early hominin homo floresiensis, the essays proceed to the role mental representations play in guiding the behaviour of simple organisms and robots, thence to the question of which features of its environment the human brain represents and the extent to which complex cognitive skills such as language acquisition and comprehension are impaired when the brain lacks certain important neural structures. Other papers explore topics ranging from nativism to the presumed constancy of categorization across signed and spoken languages, from the formal representation of metaphor, actions and vague language to philosophical questions about conceptual schemes and colours. Anyone interested in mental states will find much to reward them in this fine volume.
In 1970, John M. Allegro published The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, arguing that the early Christians belonged to a drug cult, their sacrament consisting of hallucinogenic mushrooms. The book contained a large amount of linguistic data to support Allegro's speculations. In his follow-up book, The End of a Road, Allegro considered the philosophical ramifications of having undermined Christianity and hence, for many people, religion altogether. He argued that abandoning religion is not tantamount to abandoning morality; rather, it should enable a more honest and straightforward approach to morality. This new edition includes a new foreword by Judith Anne Brown, author of John Marco Allegro: The Maverick of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as two new essays. These are an essay by Franco Fabbro discussing a mushroom mosaic in an early Christian church in Aquileia; and an essay by John Bolender discussing the vagueness of the concept of religion, which raises questions about the precise target of Allegro's polemic and challenges attempts to defend religion as a biological adaptation.
What sets this collection apart in the literature is its direct, personal style. Experienced supervisors as well as younger scholars speak to beginning researchers in interpreting, and more generally in Translation Studies. The contributors, who are very familiar with the difficulties beginners experience, focus on their needs and anticipate their questions. They reflect, analyze and advise, with illustrations from their own experience. Issues discussed include topic selection, project planning, time management, ‘doctoral stress’, the use of the literature, critical reading and book reviews, supervisor-supervisee relations, institutional frameworks for research training, issues in empirical research, theoretical analysis, and the role of small projects. Readers will thus find answers to many personal, institutional and methodological questions, which are common to beginners in many disciplines and in many paradigms.
This unique book is an essential resource for interdisciplinary research and scholarship on the phenomenon of feeling called to a life path or vocation at the interface of science and religion. According to Gallup polls, more than 40 percent of Americans report having had a profound religious experience or awakening that changed the direction of their life. What are the potential mental, spiritual, and even physical benefits of following the calling to take a particular path in life? This standout book addresses the full range of calling experiences, from the "A-ha!" moments of special insight, to pondering what one is meant to do in life, to intense spiritual experiences like Saint Paul on ...
The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art account of the complex field of translation studies. Written by leading specialists from around the world, this volume brings together authoritative original articles on pressing issues including: the current status of the field and its interdisciplinary nature the problematic definition of the object of study the various theoretical frameworks the research methodologies available. The handbook also includes discussion of the most recent theoretical, descriptive and applied research, as well as glimpses of future directions within the field and an extensive up-to-date bibliography. The Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies is an indispensable resource for postgraduate students of translation studies.
"The New Handbook of Second Language Acquisition" is a thoroughly revised, re-organized, and re-worked edition of Ritchie and Bhatia's 1996 handbook. The work is divided into six parts, each devoted to a different aspect of the study of SLA. Part I includes a recent history of methods used in SLA research and an overview of currently used methods. Part II contains chapters on Universal Grammar, emergentism, variationism, information-processing, sociocultural, and cognitive-linguistic. Part III is devoted to overviews of SLA research on lexicon, morphosyntax, phonology, pragmatics, sentence processing, and the distinction between implicit and explicit knowledge. Part IV examines neuropsycholgy of SLA, another on child SLA, and the effects of age on second language acquisition and use. Part V is concerned with the contribution of the linguistic environment to SLA, including work on acquisition in different environments, through the Internet, and by deaf learners. Finally, Part VI treats social factors in SLA, including research on acquisition in contact circumstances, on social identity in SLA, on individual differences in SLA, and on the final state of SLA, bilingualism.
Arturo Hernandez presents the results of 25 years of research into the factors that might help us to understand how two (or more) languages are stored in one brain. It is clear that the brain is not egalitarian—some languages are privileged and others are not, but why?