English Vocabulary Elements

by Keith Denning, Brett Kessler, William R. Leben

Overview

This unique text draws on the tools of modern linguistics to help the student acquire an effective understanding of learned, specialized, and scientific vocabulary. English Vocabulary Elements (EVE) helps develop familiarity with over 350 Latin and Greek word elements in English, and shows how these roots are the building blocks within thousands of different words. Along the way the authors introduce and illustrate many of the fundamental concepts of linguistics. Offering a thorough approach to the expansion of vocabulary, EVE is an invaluable resource that provides students a deeper understanding of the language. This book will be useful to upper level high school students, undergraduates in English, Linguistics, and Classics departments, ESL students, and anyone interested in building vocabulary skills. This edition is refined and thoroughly updated. It includes updated cultural references, and the authors have revised and improved the pedagogy based on classroom experience. In particular they account for variations in pronunciation among students; clarify when historical details are important or peripheral; and improve the many examples and exercises that form the core of the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199883325
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/17/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	9 MB

Table of Contents

Preface
1. The Wealth of English
2. History of English and Sources of English Vocabulary
3. Morphology: Analyzing Complete Works
4. Allomorphy
5. Phonetics
6. Regular Allomorphy: Numeric Elements
7. Polysemy and Semantic Change
8. Usage and Variation
9. Latin and Greek Morphology
10. Prehistory of English and the Other Indo-European Languages
11. Later Changes from Latin to French to English
Appendix I: Elements to Glosses
Appendix II: Glosses to Elements
Glossary
Further Reading and Research Tools
Index

Editorial Reviews

"This will be quite a useful text for secondary teachers—in terms of background in English, history, morphology, usage, etc.—to enhance teaching of English , vocabulary development and writing."—Sandra Jackson, DePaul University

"An excellent supplementary text for a course on the history of the English language and/or grammar."—Zacharias Thundy, Northern Michigan University

"An excellent book!"—Glenn Swetman, William Carey College on the Coast

"An accessible blend of all the vocabulary elements a college reading class should include."—Barbara Sullivan, Laramie County Community College

[Vsn 1, for linguists] "The best introduction to the study of English words available. This linguistically-informed and highly readable text has a dual focus: on the one hand it systematically covers topics ranging from word formation, word analysis, and allomorphy, to etymology, meaning change, and growth of the English vocabulary; at the same time, there is an emphasis throughout on developing word-awareness and on incremental vocabulary expansion. This adds a highly practical dimension to the material, undeniably attractive to students preparing for the major verbal aptitude tests such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.
This book is not only ideal as an introduction to the structure of English (words or more generally), but is also usable as a practical introduction to basic linguistic notions. The authors have managed to convey sophisticated linguistic concepts while focusing on the most universally interesting and accessible aspect of language: words."—Suzanne Kemmer, Rice University

[Vsn 2, for non-linguists] "The best introduction to the study of English words available. This linguistically-informed and highly readable text has a dual focus: on the one hand it systematically covers topics ranging from word formation and word analysis, to etymology, meaning change, and growth of the English vocabulary; at the same time, there is an emphasis throughout on developing word-awareness and on incremental vocabulary expansion. This adds a highly practical dimension to the material, undeniably attractive to students preparing for the major verbal aptitude tests such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.
This book is not only ideal as an introduction to the structure of English (words or more generally), but is also usable as a practical introduction to basic linguistic notions. The authors have managed to convey sophisticated linguistic concepts while focusing on the most universally interesting and accessible aspect of language: words.—Suzanne Kemmer, Rice University

[Version 3, short and general] "The best introduction to the study of English words available. This linguistically-informed and highly readable text...is not only ideal as an introduction to the structure of English (words or more generally), but is also usable as a practical introduction to basic linguistic notions. The authors have managed to convey sophisticated linguistic concepts while focusing on the most universally interesting and accessible aspect of language: words.—Suzanne Kemmer, Rice University

"Highly accessible to those lacking a background in linguistics. It is both readable and interesting, and is particularly useful to those requiring word-parsing skills (such as students of law or medicine). For those who simply love words, it is a joy."—Deborah Osborne, Simon Fraser University

From the Publisher