This edited volume, based on papers presented at the 2017 Georgetown University Round Table on Language and Linguistics (GURT), approaches the study of language variation from a variety of angles. Language variation research asks broad questions such as, "Why are languages' grammatical structures different from one another?" as well as more specific word-level questions such as, "Why are words that are pronounced differently still recognized to be the same words?" Too often, research on va...

The topic of variation in language has received considerable attention in the field of general linguistics in recent years. This includes research on linguistic micro-variation that is dependent on fine distinctions in syntax and information structure. However, relatively little work has been done on how this variation is acquired. This book focuses on how different types of variation are expressed in the input and how this is acquired by young children. The collection of papers includes s...

Many people find English grammar daunting: if you are one of them, then this is the book for you. The Complete Guide to Grammar is an indispensible guide for all native English speakers who were not taught formal grammar, and who have ever wondered about the correct use of a word or phrase. It is also an invaluable learning tool for students of English of lower intermediate standard and above.The book deals with each area of grammar in a concise, readable manner, providing relevant...

Words have come a long way since they were invented as a nifty tool to help us communicate. We have played with them, made up rules for them, added bits to them and taken bits off. We've gathered them into languages, adopted and defined them. The words we use say so much about who we are, yet most of them slip from our mouths without a second thought.The Book of Words is a brief pause for reflection in the ever-changing life of words, a snapshot of the English language and how we u...

This collection of papers investigates two specific linguistic phenomena from the point of view of first- and second-language acquisition. While observations on the acquisition of scrambling or pronominal clitics can be found in the literature, up until the recent past they were sparse and often buried in other issues. This volume fills a long-existing gap in providing a collection of articles which focus on language acquisition but at the same time address the overarching syntactic issues...

The monograph constitutes an attempt to demonstrate how Cognitive Grammar (CG) can be employed in the foreign language classroom with a view to aiding learners in better understanding the complexities of English grammar. Its theoretical part provides a brief overview of the main tenets of Cognitive Grammar as well as illustrating how the description of English tense and aspect can be approached from a traditional and a CG perspective. The empirical part reports the findings of an empirical...

Scientific English is possibly the most rewarding area of EFL teaching. It differs from English for Academic Purposes (EAP) as it is directed to a much smaller audience: PhD and postdoc students. Courses on Scientific English are held in universities throughout the world, yet there is very little support for teachers in understanding what to teach andhow to teach it.This guide is part of the English for Academic Research series. Part 1 of the book sheds light on the world o...

Recent developments in linguistic theory, as well as the growing body of evidence from languages other than English, provide new opportunities for deeper explorations into how language is represented in the mind of learners. This collection of new empirical studies on the acquisition of Spanish morphosyntax by leading researchers in the field of language acquisition, specifically contributes to the characterization of the L1 / L2 connection in acquisition. Using L1 and L2 Spanish data from...

Publishing your research in an international journal is key to your success in academia. This guide is based on a study of over 1000 manuscripts and reviewers' reports revealing why papers written by non-native researchers are often rejected due to problems with English usage and poor structure and content.With easy-to-follow rules and tips, and examples taken from published and unpublished papers, you will learn how to:prepare and structure a manuscript...

Written specifically for researchers of all disciplines whose first language is not English, this guide presents easy-to-follow rules and tips, along with authentic examples taken from real emails, referees' reports and cover letters, will show you how to:write effective emails (subject lines, structure, requests, level of formality)review other people's manuscriptsreply effectively and constructively to referees' reports

Good presentation skills are key to a successful career in academia. This guide provides examples taken from real presentations given both by native and non-native academics covering a wide variety of disciplines.The easy-to-follow guidelines and tips will teach you how to:plan, prepare and practice a well-organized, interesting presentationavoid errors in English by using short easy-to-say sentencesimprove your English pronun...

This book argues that a basic grasp of philosophy and logic can produce written and spoken material that is both grammatically correct and powerful. The author analyses errors in grammar, word choice, phrasing and sentences that even the finest writers can fail to notice; concentrating on subtle missteps and errors that can make the difference between good and excellent prose. Each chapter addresses how common words and long-established grammatical rules are often misused or ignored altoge...