Language in the Real World challenges traditional approaches to linguistics to provide an innovative introduction to the subject. By first examining the real world applications of core areas of linguistics and then addressing the theory behind these applications, this text offers an inductive, illustrative, and interactive overview for students. Key areas covered include animal communication, phonology, language variation, gender and power, lexicography, translation, forensic linguistics, language acquisition, ASL, and language disorders. Each chapter, written by an expert in the field, is introduced by boxed notes listing the key points covered and features an author’s note to readers that situates the chapter in its real world context. Activities and pointers for further study and reading are also integrated into the chapters and an end of text glossary is provided to aid study. Professors and students will benefit from the interactive Companion Website that includes a student section featuring comments and hints on the chapter exercises within the book, a series of flash cards to test knowledge and further reading and links to key resources. Material for professors includes essay and multiple choice questions based on each chapter and additional general discussion topics. Language in the Real World shows that linguistics can be appreciated, studied, and enjoyed by actively engaging real world applications of linguistic knowledge and principles and will be essential reading for students with an interest in language. Visit the Companion Website at www.routledge.com/textbooks/languagerealworld

Ten contributions from American academics discuss recent research on linguistic analysis. The volume opens with Frederick Erickson's (UCLA) theories on the musical nature of speech. Next, Wallace Chafe (UC- Santa Barbara) describes a phonetics of laughter and examines its uses in conversation. Other contributors analyze discourses ranging from ordinary medical interactions and family conversations to testimony before the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Annotation. This collection of specially commissioned essays focuses on the forms, functions, and uses of contemporary German in the period of dynamic change following reunification. Some contributors address broad issueslanguage and national identity, the status of German as an international language, language change and attempts to fix the form of the language, and sociolinguistic variationwhile others examine topics of particular significance in the current sociopolitical climate. These include social change and linguistic variation in Berlin after the Wall, the political language of the Rightand Left, the speech of youth subcultures, language and gender, language and television, and language in intercultural communication. Reviews of the hardback edition ̀This volume fills a void in up-to-date English-language information on German linguistics. Highly recommended for all college and university collections, as well as public libraries.' Choice, 33: 3, November 1995 ̀The appearance of this collection is timely. . .it updates us on important, immediate issues affecting German language and society' ̀. . .while this work will be appreciated most by those focusing on sociolinguistics in the German-speaking context, those searching for comparative sociolinguistic material will find it a valuable source as well.' ̀All in all, Stevenson has organized an interesting and useful volume for Germanophile sociolinguists and for those interested in a multidimensional real German.' Language Learning, 46:1, March 1996.

How can you use the latest digital technology to create an environment in which people can learn European languages while performing a meaningful real-world task and experiencing the cultural aspect of learning to cook European dishes? This book explains how to do this from A to Z, covering how a real-world digital environment for language learning was designed, built and researched. The project makes language learning motivational and fun by tapping into people's interest in both cooking and technology – you can learn a language while cooking and interacting with a speaking digital kitchen. The kitchens provide spoken instructions in the foreign language on how to prepare European cuisine. Digital sensors are inserted in or attached to all the kitchen equipment and ingredients, so the digital kitchen detects what learners are doing and gives them feedback. Learners are also able to communicate with the kitchens and can ask for help via photos and videos if they don't understand any foreign language words. Based on two research grants, the book provides five research studies showing the learning experiences of users in five European countries. The book explains the principles and procedures involved in the project, enabling others to design and implement a real-world digital learning environment in the same way. It includes numerous photographs of the system in use and evidence of how and what 250 users actually learnt.

Voice assistants, automated customer service agents, and other cutting-edge human-to-computer interactions rely on accurately interpreting language as it is written and spoken. Real-world Natural Language Processing teaches you how to create practical NLP applications without getting bogged down in complex language theory and the mathematics of deep learning. In this engaging book, you''ll explore the core tools and techniques required to build a huge range of powerful NLP apps. about the technology Natural language processing is the part of AI dedicated to understanding and generating human text and speech. NLP covers a wide range of algorithms and tasks, from classic functions such as spell checkers, machine translation, and search engines to emerging innovations like chatbots, voice assistants, and automatic text summarization. Wherever there is text, NLP can be useful for extracting meaning and bridging the gap between humans and machines. about the book Real-world Natural Language Processing teaches you how to create practical NLP applications using Python and open source NLP libraries such as AllenNLP and Fairseq. In this practical guide, you''ll begin by creating a complete sentiment analyzer, then dive deep into each component to unlock the building blocks you''ll use in all different kinds of NLP programs. By the time you''re done, you''ll have the skills to create named entity taggers, machine translation systems, spelling correctors, and language generation systems. what''s inside Design, develop, and deploy basic NLP applications NLP libraries such as AllenNLP and Fairseq Advanced NLP concepts such as attention and transfer learning about the reader Aimed at intermediate Python programmers. No mathematical or machine learning knowledge required. about the author Masato Hagiwara received his computer science PhD from Nagoya University in 2009, focusing on Natural Language Processing and machine learning. He has interned at Google and Microsoft Research, and worked at Baidu Japan, Duolingo, and Rakuten Institute of Technology. He now runs his own consultancy business advising clients, including startups and research institutions.

Real World Psychology balances comprehensive coverage of the key concepts in introductory psychology with a concise presentation style and engages students with current and interesting research that explores these concepts in real-life contexts. Real World Psychology features the incomparable author team of Karen Huffman (Palomar College) and Catherine Sanderson (Amherst College) who create an outstanding text that is appealing to students and instructors at a wide range of academic institutions. The new edition has been thoroughly updated and features a new focus on Scientific Thinking and Practical Applications underscoring the fact that connecting the principles of psychological science to everyday life is critical to student engagement, and ultimately key to their success – not only in the introductory psychology course, but in whatever their chosen field of study and in everyday life. Students will leave the course with an appreciation of how a basic, yet scientific understanding of human behavior can benefit them in their studies, in their personal lives, and in their professional endeavors.

"This study broadens our knowledge of the important role of language in minority rights and in social and political struggles for LHRs. Exploring the interactions of linguistic diversity, biodiversity, the free market and human rights, the contributors present case studies to highlight such issues as Kurdish satellite TV attempting to create a virtual state on the air through trying to achieve basic LHRs for Kurds in Turkey; the implementation of LHRs in the Baltic states; language rights activism in Canada; the spread of English as an international language; and the obstacles met in education by Roma and the Deaf in Hungary because of lack of appropriate LHRs." "Language: A Right and a Resource is a multi-disciplinary text which can be used in a variety of different areas of study in the legal profession, linguistics, cultural and political studies."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This resource book will introduce college students from other disciplines to the world of linguistics via the real world applications of the field. Students will engage with all the traditional areas of linguistics in an inductive, illustrative, and interactive way.

Genre theory in the past few years has contributed immensely to our understanding of the way discourse is used in academic, professional and institutional contexts. However, its development has been constrained by the nature and design of its applications, which have invariably focused on language teaching and learning, or communication training and consultation. This has led to the use of simplified and idealised genres. In contrast to this, the real world of discourse is complex, dynamic and unpredictable. This tension between the real world of written discourse and its representation in applied genre-based literature is the main theme of this book.