The IB Theory of knowledge guide, give us some questions as provocations. keep them in mind while reading the following suggested books.
* How does language shape knowledge?
* Does the importance of language in an area of knowledge ground it in a particular culture?
* How are metaphors used in the construction of knowledge?
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language by
This Second Edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language presents a mass of new information and introduces the subject of language to a fresh generation of students and general readers. Probably the most successful general study of language ever published, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language covers all the major themes of language study, including popular ideas about language, language and identity, the structure of language, speaking and listening, writing, reading, and signing, language acquisition, the neurological basis of language, and languages of the world. Exposing this work to a new generation of readers, the Second Edition extends the range of coverage to include advances in areas such as machine translation, speech interaction with machines, and language teaching. There is new material on acoustics, physiological concepts of language, and World English, and a complete update of the language distribution maps, language-speaking statistics, table of the world's languages, and further reading. All geopolitical material has been revised to take account of boundary changes. The book has been redesigned and is presented for the first time in full color, with new pictures and maps added.
Cultural Attraction and Cultural Distractions: critical leterary in contemporary contexts by
The dynamic cultural rhetoric/reader focuses on culture by giving students a variety of readings. The readings, which are taken from contemporary periodicals and scholarly publications deal with the role of mass media in society.
Grammar of the Film Language by
Guide to the visual narrative techniques that form the 'language' of filmmaking.
Great speeches of Modern India by
From Nehru to Vajpayee and from Tagore to Vikram Seth, the speechmakers represented here cover all shades of social and political opinion of modern India.
The language instict by
An introduction to the science of language, discussing such topics as how languages work, historical linguistics, language acquisition, language change, and language perception.
In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published.-- Goodreads.
The stories of English by
When and why did 'thou' disappear from Standard English? Would a Victorian Cockney have said 'observation' or 'hobservation'? Was Jane Austen making a mistake when she wrote 'Jenny and James are walked to Charmonth this afternoon'?
This superbly well-informed - and also wonderfully entertaining - history of the English language answers all these questions, showing how the many strands of English (Standard English, dialect and slang among them) developed to create the richly-varied language of today.
On Communication by
The best leaders know how to communicate clearly and persuasively. How do you stack up?"
If you read nothing else on communicating effectively, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you express your ideas with clarity and impact--no matter what the situation.
The Language of New Media by
In this book Lev Manovich offers the first systematic and rigorous theory of new media. He places new media within the histories of visual and media cultures of the last few centuries. He discusses new media's reliance on conventions of old media, such as the rectangular frame and mobile camera, and shows how new media works create the illusion of reality, address the viewer, and represent space. He also analyzes categories and forms unique to new media, such as interface and database. Manovich uses concepts from film theory, art history, literary theory, and computer science and also develops new theoretical constructs, such as cultural interface, spatial montage, and cinegratography. The theory and history of cinema play a particularly important role in the book. Among other topics, Manovich discusses parallels between the histories of cinema and of new media, digital cinema, screen and montage in cinema and in new media, and historical ties between avant-garde film and new media.
The world's great speeches: 292 speeches from Pericles to Nelson Mandela by
This compilation of 292 speeches from nearly every historical era and nation, from the formal orations of Ancient Greece and the speeches of Julius Caesar, to modern-day addresses by Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Vaclav Havel.
It's Complicated: the social lives of networked teens by
What is new about how teenagers communicate through services such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Do social media affect the quality of teens’ lives? In this eye-opening book, youth culture and technology expert danah boyd uncovers some of the major myths regarding teens' use of social media. She explores tropes about identity, privacy, safety, danger, and bullying. Ultimately, boyd argues that society fails young people when paternalism and protectionism hinder teenagers’ ability to become informed, thoughtful, and engaged citizens through their online interactions. Yet despite an environment of rampant fear-mongering, boyd finds that teens often find ways to engage and to develop a sense of identity. Boyd’s conclusions are essential reading not only for parents, teachers, and others who work with teens but also for anyone interested in the impact of emerging technologies on society, culture, and commerce in years to come. Offering insights gleaned from more than a decade of original fieldwork interviewing teenagers across the United States, boyd concludes reassuringly that the kids are all right. At the same time, she acknowledges that coming to terms with life in a networked era is not easy or obvious. In a technologically mediated world, life is bound to be complicate.-- Goodreads.
Knowledge by
What is knowledge? Is it the same as opinion or truth? Do you need to be able to justify a claim in order to count as knowing it? How can we know that the outer world is real and not a dream?
Questions like these are ancient ones, and the branch of philosophy dedicated to answering them - epistemology - has been active for thousands of years. In this thought provoking Very Short Introduction, Jennifer Nagel considers the central problems and paradoxes in the theory of knowledge whilst drawing attention to the ways in which philosophers and theorists have responded to them. By exploring the relationship between knowledge and truth, and considering the problem of scepticism, Nagel introduces a series of influential historical and contemporary theories of knowledge, incorporating methods from logic, linguistics, and psychology, and using a number of everyday examples to demonstrate the key issues and debates.-- Goodreads
Language Myths by
A unique collection of original essays by 21 of the world's leading linguists. The topics discussed focus on some of the most popular myths about language: The Media Are Ruining English; Children Can't Speak or Write Properly Anymore; America is Ruining the English Language. The tone is lively and entertaining throughout and there are cartoons from Doonesbury andThe Wizard of Id to illustrate some of the points. The book should have a wide readership not only amongst students who want to read leading linguists writing about popular misconceptions but also amongst the large number of people who enjoy reading about language in general.
The Cambridge guide to English usage by
It's a book so packed with accurate and well researched factual information been so widely read and popularly acclaimed. It has played a key role in the spread of general interest in language matters, generating further publications and broadcasting events for an avid audience. Its First Edition appeared in hardback in 1995 and a revised paperback in 1997. There have been numerous subsequent updated reprintings; but this second edition now presents an overhaul of the subject for a new generation of language-lovers and of teachers, students and professional English-users concerned with their own linguistic legacy. The length of the book has been extended and there are 44 new illustrations, extensive new material on world English and Internet English, and a complete updating of statistics, further reading suggestions and other references.
Signs of Life in the USA by
Facebook, Twitter, Glee, Wikipedia. All are part of pop culture in USA, and each tells us important things about today's society. As a student, you are almost like an expert in American popular culture. This book shows you how to tap into your expertise to develop the critical thinking and writing skills necessary for college work.
Great speeches: words that shaped the world by
It collects over forty of the most powerful and stirring addresses delivered in the English language. It captures the significant historical events of the past 400 years in the words of their participants, from those speeches given in times of war and sorrow, such as Winston Churchill's This was their finest hour', to those delivered at moments of hope, such as Barack Obama's election victory address.
Through the language glass : why the world looks different in other languages by
Examines the symbiotic relationship between culture and language, discussing how each impacts the other, whether different languages can lead a speaker to have different thoughts, and related topics.