Bad language : are some words better than others?
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Bad language : are some words better than others?
Oxford University Press, 2005
- :pbk
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Note
Bibliography: p. 203-222
Includes index
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 2007 - t.p. verso.
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
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ISBN 9780195172485
Description
Is today's language at an all-time low? Are pronunciations like "cawfee" and "chawklit" bad English? Is slang like "my bad" or "hook up" improper? Is it incorrect to mix English and Spanish, as in "Yo quiero Taco Bell"? Can you write "Who do you trust?" rather than "Whom do you trust?" Linguist Edwin Battistella takes a hard look at traditional notions of bad language, arguing that they are often based in sterile conventionality. Examining grammar and style, cursing,
slang, and political correctness, regional and ethnic dialects, and foreign accents and language mixing, Battistella discusses the strong feelings evoked by language variation, from objections to the pronunciation NU-cu-lar to complaints about bilingual education. He explains the natural desire for
uniformity in writing and speaking and traces the association of mainstream norms to ideas about refinement, intelligence, education, character, national unity and political values. Battistella argues that none of these qualities is inherently connected to language. It is tempting but wrong, Battistella argues, to think of slang, dialects and nonstandard grammar as simply breaking the rules of good English. Instead, we should view language as made up of alternative forms of orderliness adopted
by speakers depending on their purpose. Thus we can study the structure and context of nonstandard language in order to illuminate and enrich traditional forms of language, and make policy decisions based on an informed engagement. Re-examining longstanding and heated debates, Bad Language will
appeal to a wide spectrum of readers engaged and interested in the debate over what constitutes "proper" language.
Table of Contents
Preface
1: Bad Language: Realism vs. Relativism
2: Bad Writing
3: Bad Grammar
4: Bad Words
5: Bad Citizens
6: Bad Accents
7: Images and Engagement
- Volume
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:pbk ISBN 9780195337457
Description
Is today's language at an all-time low? Edwin Battistella argues that it is wrong to think of slang, regional dialects and nonstandard grammar as simply breaking the rules of good English. Reexamining debates over relativism in language, Battistella argues that we should view language as made up of alternative forms of regularity and orderliness, which require informed engagement with usage.
Table of Contents
Preface
Bad Language: Realism versus Relativism
Anything Goes
A Culture of Engagement
Bad Writing
The Craft of Writing
Clear and Direct
The Relativity of Style
What is Good Writing?
Bad Grammar
Prescriptive Grammar
The Emergence of Prescriptivism
The Doctrines of Usage and Utility
The English Language Arts and Beyond
Conservatives and Progressives
The Necessity for Grammar
Bad Words
Cursing in the Media and the Arts
Offensive Language
Bad Words as a Social Construction
Slang as Bad Language
Political Correctness
Conventionalism and Comfort Levels
Bad Citizens
Birth of a Nation
Native American Languages
Manualism versus Oralism
Restrictions on Foreign Languages
Bilingual Education
English Only
One Flag, One Language
Bad Accents
Broken English
Attitudes Toward Regional Dialects
Ebonics
Accomodating to the Idealized Mainstream
Images and Engagement
Imagining Language
English Made Hard
Beyond Simplistic Characterizations
Notes
Reference
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"