Narrative Economics - How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events
(blurb) In a world in which internet troll farms attempt to influence foreign elections, can we afford to ignore the power of viral stories to affect economies?
In this groundbreaking book, Nobel Prize–winning economist and New York Times bestselling author Robert Shiller offers a new way to think about the economy and economic change.
Using a rich array of historical examples and data, Shiller argues that studying popular stories that affect individual and collective economic behavior - what he calls “narrative economics” - has the potential to vastly improve our ability to predict, prepare for, and lessen the damage of financial crises, recessions, depressions, and other major economic events.
Jazyky světa: Historie a současnost
(Presentation text) "The safest way to penetrate the national mentality and to understand the culture of another nation as accurately as possible is to get to know its language," says the introduction to this publication, which provides an overview of the languages of the world so far known. Now you can meet this book in a new, updated and edited edition and in Czech.
Author PhDr. Jozef Genzor is an important linguist, Korean and Filipino translator from English and Korean. He is co-author of several scientific publications and author of many scientific and popular science articles and reviews. His main areas of interest are linguistic interference and typology of Tagalog, sociolinguistics and research into the position of Korean in the family of languages of the world.
The book offers an overview of nearly 2,000 languages on all continents. It is not possible to determine the exact number of all languages of the world for a simple reason - it is not always possible to distinguish between language and dialect. Languages also differ quantitatively. Some speak only a few individuals, while others are the means of communication of several hundred thousand or millions of communities. Languages also have an unequal and not always sufficient degree of linguistic processing. Time plays a similar role to space.
Contribute to The Language Sector's multilingual Language Bookshelf
For a successful language professional specialisation is key. However, you should not overlook the various other dimensions the language sector has to offer. Your customers, your family, friends and acquaintances expect you to have a broad linguistic knowledge. They ask you all kinds of questions about language or approach you whenever they are looking for a good book on language.
But how can you maintain this broad perspective? The Language Sector has a fitting answer: The Language Bookshelf.
What is The Language Bookshelf?
A multilingual bookshelf (offline here at our offices and online on The Language Sector website) with as many language books as possible with a scientific base, but which are written with the wider public in mind. The Language Bookshelf can be found on the menu on the left in the "Books" category.
15 centuries of Dutch language
(Blurb) How did Dutch emerge from the Indo-European? How important was contact with speakers of other languages, dialects or group languages? Why do we learn at school that he thinks needs and 's' but you think doesn't?
15 eeuwen Nederlandse taal describes the evolution of the Dutch language. Each chapter begins with a brief description of language contacts in a given period and the most important social changes at that time.
Then we read how sounds, shapes, word formations and sentence construction have been influenced by this.
One thing is clear: Dutch has always been open to external influences; migration and language contact are driving factors for language change.
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries
(Blurb) “We think of English as a fortress to be defended, but a better analogy is to think of English as a child. We love and nurture it into being, and once it gains gross motor skills, it starts going exactly where we don’t want it to go: it heads right for the goddamned electrical sockets.”
With wit and irreverence, lexicographer Kory Stamper cracks open the obsessive world of dictionary writing, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it to the knotty questions of ever-changing word usage.
Filled with fun facts—for example, the first documented usage of “OMG” was in a letter to Winston Churchill—and Stamper’s own stories from the linguistic front lines (including how she became America’s foremost “irregardless” apologist, despite loathing the word), Word by Word is an endlessly entertaining look at the wonderful complexities and eccentricities of the English language.
Babel: The world's twenty giant languages
(Blurb) Babel is about the twenty most powerful languages of our time. Half humanity considers one of the twenty as his mother tongue. More than three-quarters of the world's population can speak at least one of 20.
Babel explores them all, from German to Japanese, from Spanish to Swahili and from Arabic to Javanese.
Babel explores one salient theme, playful and thorough ly per language.
What does it mean that Russian is 'related' to Dutch? How do the non-alphabetical writing types of China and India work? If Belgium has already struggled so much with its language issue, how can countries with far more languages save peace than ever?
Surfaces and essences: Analogy as the Fuel and Fire of Thinking
(Blurb) Analogy is the core of all thinking. This is the simple but unorthodox premise that Pulitzer Prize–winning author Douglas Hofstadter and French psychologist Emmanuel Sander defend in their new work.
Hofstadter has been grappling with the mysteries of human thought for over thirty years. Now, with his trademark wit and special talent for making complex ideas vivid, he has partnered with Sander to put forth a highly novel perspective on cognition.
We are constantly faced with a swirling and intermingling multitude of ill-defined situations. Our brain's job is to try to make sense of this unpredictable, swarming chaos of stimuli. How does it do so?
How Languages Changed My Life
(Blurb) How Languages Changed My Life is a collection of stories exploring the importance of languages in shaping the lives of individuals and communities around the world. It brings together writers and musicians, politicians and activists, teachers, students, scientists, comedians, and sportspeople whose experiences are both unique and exemplary.
The first-person voices are conversational, intimate and uplifting, but also often very funny and deeply moving.
This book is for anyone who loves real-life stories; is interested in languages, culture, and adventure; and believes in global citizenship.
The Unfolding of Language: The Evolution of Mankind's Greatest Invention
(Blurb) ‘Language is mankind's greatest invention – except of course, that it was never invented.’
So begins Guy Deutscher's enthralling investigation into the evolution of language. No one believes that the Roman Senate sat down one day to design the complex system that is Latin grammar, and few believe, these days, in the literal truth of the story of the Tower of Babel.
But then how did there come to be so many languages, and of such elaborate design? If we started off with rudimentary utterances on the level of 'man throw spear’, how did we end up with sophisticated grammars, enormous vocabularies, and intricately nuanced shades of meaning?
Mit einfacher Sprache Wissenschaft kommunizieren
(Klappentext) Schreiben für den fachfremden, gut ausgebildeten Leser: Worauf muss ein Autor achten? Was geschieht, wenn jemand einen Text versteht, wie kann man ihn dabei unterstützen? Was ist einfache Sprache in Wissenschaft und Technik?
Wer eine Vorstellung vom Leser hat, kann auch für diesen schreiben. Mit einfacher Sprache, korrektem und stilistisch hochwertigem Deutsch unterstützt der Schreiber die Prozesse im Gehirn des Lesers.
Dieses essential sieht das Arbeitsgedächtnis und seine Anbindung an das Langzeitgedächtnis als entscheidend für das Verstehen. Dessen Aufgaben können Autoren unterstützen und dem Leser so die Lektüre erleichtern.
Sprachen ohne Worte: Kommunikation auf anderen Wegen
(Klappentext) Wie spricht man unter Wasser miteinander? Und wie wird ein Ballett aufgeschrieben?
Diese Fragen beantwortet das erste Buch, das einen Überblick über verschiedene Notationssysteme bietet. Kommunikationssysteme, die ohne Wörter funktionieren, werden durch Schrift, Bild und Design dargestellt - überraschende Themen, präsentiert in einer Mischung aus Information und Unterhaltung.
Plus d'une langue
(Blurb) Everyone is born in the language or languages that are spoken around them. But what is a native language? And what happens when you learn another language?
If each language sketches a world, what happens when we talk several languages? To move from one language to another, by learning, by translating, is to venture into another way of conveying meaning.
All these ways, when they encounter each other, get richer: we have a better understanding of what we are trying to say when we know that it is said differently, in another language, with words that may not say quite the same thing.
Un bonbon sur la langue: On n'a jamais fini de découvrir le français!
(Blurb) Why do the Bourbons take an "s" when the Macrons are not entitled to it? Why is Charles de Gaulle's name an aptonym?
Friends of words, you know, French is a complicated language but it is also tasty, tangy, colourful, sweet... like a candy! All its quirks, its convoluted rules and its endless exceptions are all treats.
Over the course of this book, I tell you about these errors that have entered the dictionary and lift the veil on agreements that cause many disagreements. You will also learn how to solve the preposition puzzle and unravel the secret of puns.
Enjoy yourself, the candy box is open!
Hoeveel talen spreek jij? Wat je altijd al wilde weten over meertaligheid
(Blurb)In 'Hoeveel talen spreek jij? children from primary school 'De Regenboog' take the reader to the magical world of multilingualism. A world in which children speak a different language with their mom than with their teacher. A world full of words with exotic sounds that have everyday meanings. A world full of colour thanks to the different glasses through which multilingual children look at the world.
More and more children are living in this magical world and are growing up multilingually. That's fun and convenient! But there are also many questions. What
exactly is multilingualism and what does it mean at home and at school? How do you actually learn two languages at once? Isn't it exhausting and how does it work in your brain? Everyone has language relationships; how exactly does such a language relationship work? What is your mother tongue and why is it very much okay to speak to your parents the home language?
Meertaligheid al opdracht: Een analyse van de Brusselse taalsituatie op basis van taalbarometer 4
(Blurb) The language barometer, realized on assignment and with the support of the Flemish Government and BRIO, is already in need of its fourth edition. In 1997, Prof. Dr. White layed the foundation of this research. With the third state reform, the Brussels Capital Region was formed with its own institutions, a parliament and government, and communities and regions were further drawn up.
Nevertheless, it was clear that the people of Brussels were not merely made up of both traditional language groups (Dutch and French), but had become a multicultural and multilingual city as a result of international migration. The language barometer research aims to provide an overview of the language use and shifts within the Brussels Capital Region and the way in which this linguistic diversity is handled from the specificity of the Brussels model.
This fourth decrease confirms the complexity of the Brussels language image that cannot be grasped in simple linear evolutions. It is clear is that language knowledge is an essential element in handling linguistic diversity.
Taal voor de leuk
(Blurb) Paulien Cornelisse is a big lover of the Dutch language. "Being annoyed? You can do that in your spare time,' says Paulien, to then proceed as a detective, looking for language innovations, miscommunication and bizarre conversations.
In Taal voor de leuk, her third language book, she shares her latest fascinations.
Why does the conductor on the train say "UhLelystad" instead of just "Lelystad"? Should you whatsapp "ARG" or "ARGH"? What are compulsive clichés? Auto-irritations? And what is stickingwordstogetherism?
Sharp, inquisitive and with a cheerful ability to put things into perspective, Paulien takes a closer look at the language.
The Joy of Syntax: A Simple Guide to All the Grammar You Know You Should Know
(Blurb) When it comes to grammar, it seems like everyone—even die-hard word nerds—feel they “missed something” in school.
The Joy of Syntax picks up where sixth grade left off, providing a fresh foundation in English syntax served up by someone with an impressive record of making this otherwise inaccessible subject a true joy.
With simple, pithy information on everything from basic parts of speech and sentence structure to usage and grammar pitfalls, this guide provides everything you need to approach grammar with confidence.
El cerebro bilingüe: La neurosciencia del lenguaje
(Blurb) A fascinating approach to how bilingualism works in the human brain and how it acquires and processes language.
We are all interested in language and have wondered how the human brain acquires and processes it. But how do two languages coexist in the same brain and what implications does that coexistence have?
To understand how language works, bilingualism is essential. How do babies exposed to two languages differentiate them? Are the learning paths different between bilingual and monolingual babies? How do the two languages deteriorate after brain damage?
In this fascinating book, Albert Costa seeks to shed light on these and many other issues while encouraging the reader's curiosity about one of the most fascinating aspects of cognitive science: language.
Mehrsprachigkeit
(Klappentext) Jeder Mensch ist mehrsprachig. Wir alle pendeln täglich zwischen mehreren Sprachen: Dialekt, Schreibsprache, Fremdsprache. Mehrsprachigkeit ist denn auch in Bildung, Kultur, Medien, Wirtschaft, aber auch in der Kindererziehung ein viel diskutiertes Thema.
Brigitta Busch präsentiert aktuelle Zugänge, Entwicklungen und Tendenzen der Mehrsprachigkeitsforschung aus soziolinguistischer Sicht. Sie arbeitet die soziale und diskursive Konstruiertheit sprachlicher Kategorien heraus und nimmt sprachliche Praktiken in unterschiedlichen sozialen Kontexten in den Blick.
Wer erforschen will, wie wir Sprachen erlernen, Sprachen erleben und Sprachen gebrauchen, findet in diesem Band gut erprobte Instrumente zur eigenen Anwendung (Sprachenporträts, linguistic landscapes etc.).
L'enfant bilingue: De la petite enfance à l'école
(Blurb) What if early bilingualism, i.e. acquiring two languages, was a major asset for the development of cognitive abilities?
The aim of this book, which builds on the growing number of studies on the subject around the world, is to discover the benefits of bilingualism and to enhance the richness of a dual culture from an early age.
Unfortunately, French schools are still hesitant about the importance of bilingualism and the simultaneous learning of several living languages among very young children. How can this attitude change?
Het meertalige kind: Een eerste kennismaking
(Blurb) Contrary to what we sometimes think, multilingualism is a widespread phenomenon. In most countries, people speak several languages, but multilingualism is becoming more common in our country.
However, a multilingual child is not always well understood. Certainly not in an environment where monolingualism is the norm. How does a
child learn different languages at the same time? How does he switch between the language at home and the one at school? As a teacher at school, how should you assess the behaviour of a multilingual child? These are difficult questions which this book answers in an accessible and enthusiastic manner.