What’s in a Text? Inquiries into the Textual Cornucopia - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1443836362 ISBN 13: 9781443836364

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

Linguists of various orientations, translators and literary scholars share an interest is text. Although guided by diverse interests and aims, they ask themselves, if only subconsciously, the following questions: What kind(s) of texts do we study or translate? Why do we study them? What are we looking for? What do and don't we find? What do we do with whatever we do find? What does it tell us about language, its speakers or the human mind? Generally, what is (a) text for me as a linguist and/or translator? In the present volume, the questions are brought into the level of the conscious and addressed by several practitioners in the fields of linguistics and translation (contributions with a literary slant also have a linguistic orientation). However, the readers who look for ultimate answers to these questions will be disappointed: such may not exist. But that need not render the reading, or the entire field of text analysis, less appealing. On the contrary, the ambition of the book is to help the reader appreciate the richness of text and the variety of texts as a treasure trove for scholars representing multifarious approaches to language.

About this title

About the Author

Adam Glaz, Ph.D., has been affiliated with the English Department, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland, since 1993. His interests include cognitive semantics, linguistic categorization, viewpoint in language and linguistics, cognitive ethnolinguistics and linguistic applications of Vantage Theory. He has also worked as a translator and lexicographer. Hubert Kowalewski is a doctoral student at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland. His interests include cognitive semantics, motivation in language, general semiotics, as well as linguistics and Buddhism. Anna Weremczuk is a doctoral student at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland. She has researched and written on cognitive pragmatics and Cognitive Grammar.

Review

Unusually for a scholarly work, What s In a Text? asks the right question and then goes on to provide answers along several rational dimensions. This is an impressively wide-ranging and inter-disciplinary book from an internationally significant set of contributors. The scope of textuality explored is breath-taking: from Chaucer to Dan Brown, from Beckett to Twilight, from politicians to conversations, dictionaries, ideograms, biblical prophecy and more; there is something here for everyone interested in texts, textuality, reading and rational analysis. The quality of chapters is exceptionally high, and the collision of disciplines mean that the reading is always stimulating and surprising. Even on the margins of your own field, you will find jewels of insight in every chapter. --Prof. Peter Stockwell, Chair in Literary Linguistics, University of Nottingham, UK

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1443836362
• ISBN 13: 9781443836364
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 295
• Editor: Adam Głaz, Hubert Kowalewski, Anna Weremczuk