Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Here are some questions I'm frequently asked and some answers.
graffiti or the some personal letters/diaries to find information about colloquial language. But thanks to social media, the 21st century colloquial language will be extremely welldocumented...providing the servers remain in service.
Origins of the English Language (1986) by Joseph H. Williams There seems to be a love/hate relationship with this book, but I like it for several reasons. One is that the exercises highlight the process behind different historical developments within English. Although memorizing sound rules and etymologies is handy, it is the process that needs to be understood for future explorations. I also think the links between external social/political developments and linguistic changes are well highlighted and the price is quite reasonable in comparison to other volumes. I will say that the modern linguistic notation is used which may be a turn-off for some readers, but again is what the linguistics professionals are using. Oxford English Dictionary (etymologies) There are several etymological dictionaries available, but since the Oxford English Dictionary gives a detailed etymology for every word, this is my go-to reference when a word-origin question arises. If you can't afford your own copy, you may be able to access it through your public or state university library (check to see if they can access the online version). I confess that this is one Penn State library service I take advantage of .... a LOT. A History of the Spanish Language (1991) byRalph Penny This is an introduction to the history of Spanish from Latin to today. Note: Do not pay $100+ dollars for the hardback. I susepect the more reasonably priced original paperback is available from a reputable used book dealer. The Foundations of Latin (2002) by Phil Baldi For full disclosure, I should mention that I know the author and that this is also semitechnical book in that it contains a lot of information about Proto-Indo-European foprms and Greek (inthe Greek script). However, if you wish to be a Latin language Jedi master, you will need a book like this to give you the historical background of Latin, and, let's face it, one of the charms of Latin is that it is not so easy to master, although I have found very useful for all sorts of reasons.
4. Glossary of Language Terms from Summer Insitute of Linguistics www.sil.org/linguistics/glossary 5. Lexicon of Linguistics - www2.let.uu.nl/UiL-OTS/Lexicon/ 6. UCLA Language Profiles -www.lmp.ucla.edu/profile.aspx?menu=004 7. Omniglot Writing Systems and Languages of the World - www.omniglot.com
Contact Me at - ejp10@psu.edu. If I can't help you, I'll point you to someone who can.