Watching TV with a Linguist

by Kristy Beers Fägersten (Editor), Kay Richardson (Contribution by), Joseph Trotta (Contribution by), Jean Ann (Contribution by), Hanna Green (Contribution by)

Overview

In Watching TV with a Linguist, Fägersten challenges the conventional view of television as lowbrow entertainment devoid of intellectual activity. Rather, she champions the use of fictional television to learn about linguistics and at the same time promotes enriched television viewing experiences by explaining the role of language in creating humor, conveying drama, and developing identifiable characters. The essays gathered in this volume explore specific areas of linguistics, providing a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the study of language. Through programs such as Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Sherlock, and The Wire, contributors deftly illustrate key linguistic concepts and terminology using snippets of familiar dialogue and examples of subtle narration. In addition, contributors aim to raise linguistic awareness among readers by identifying linguistics in action, encouraging readers to recognize additional examples of concepts on their own. To this end, each chapter provides suggestions for viewing other television series or specific episodes, where further examples of the linguistic concepts in focus can be found. Invaluable as a resource in linguistics and communication courses, Watching TV with a Linguist is the first book to use the familiar and compelling medium of television to engage students with the science of language.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815653950
Publisher:	Syracuse University Press
Publication date:	09/09/2016
Series:	Television and Popular Culture
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Kristy Beers Fägersten is associate professor of English linguistics at Södertörn University in Sweden. She is the author of Who’s Swearing Now? The Social Aspects of Conversational Swearing.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction: The Linguist's View of Television Kristy Beers Fägersten 1. Watching the Detective: Sherlock and Spoken Television Discourse Kay Richardson 2. Dealers and Discourse: Sociolinguistic Variation in The Wire Joe Trotta 3. "Back in St. Olaf . . ." Regional Variation in The Golden Girls Jean Ann 4. SaMANtha: Language and Gender in Sex and the City Kristy Beers Fägersten and Hanna Sveen 5. The Pragmatics Explication: Making Sense of Nerds in The Big Bang Theory Matthias Eitelmann and Ulrike Stange 6. Cunning Linguistics: The Semantics of Word Play in South Park Michael Percillier 7. Word Formation in HIMYM Jessie Sams 8. What's the Deal with Morphemes? Doing Morphology with Seinfeld Kristy Beers Fägersten 9. Channel Surfing: Tuning into the Sounds of English Kristy Beers Fägersten 10. Syntax in Seattle Gülsat Aygen 11. I'm Learneding! First Language Acquisition in The Simpsons Kristy Beers Fägersten 12. Lost and Language Found Kristy Beers Fägersten and Ilaria Fiorentini 13. The One Based on 738,032 Words: Language Use in the Friends-corpus Paulo Quaglio Appendix A: WMatrix Grammatical Tags Appendix B: WMatrix Semantic Tags Glossary Contributors Index

Interviews

Provides a comprehensive introduction to linguistics

Editorial Reviews

A book like this ought to be available for instruction in linguistics and television studies, media studies, and cultural studies.

Indiana University professor of English

This is an excellent book, which is innovative in its conceptualization, and expertly edited. . . . A must-read for the budding linguist and TV-enthusiast.

senior lecturer

A book like this ought to be available for instruction in linguistics and television studies, media studies, and cultural studies.

professor of English, Indiana University - Michael Adams

This is an excellent book, which is innovative in its conceptualization, and expertly edited. . . . A must-read for the budding linguist and TV-enthusiast.

senior lecturer, Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney - Monika Bednarek

An interesting and very readable book that aims to provide an introduction to the study of English language and linguistics through the medium of popular television programmes.

English in Education Journal

While serving as a great means to teach linguistics through known and accessible texts, Watching TV with a Linguist also gives the reader a language with which to discuss these linguistic phenomena that are familiar but often not addressed because viewers lack a common language with which to describe them.

The Popular Culture Studies Journal

Watching TV with a Linguist encourages listeners to engage in active listening and provides excellent suggestions on ways to do it. . . . Because it provides another way to open our eyes and ears to the phenomena that is language, the book is extremely valuable.

Voice and Speech Review

While serving as a great means to teach linguistics through known and accessible texts, Watching TV with a Linguist also gives the reader a language with which to discuss these linguistic phenomena that are familiar but often not addressed because viewers lack a common language with which to describe them.

The Popular Culture Studies Journal - Linda Levitt

An interesting and very readable book that aims to provide an introduction to the study of English language and linguistics through the medium of popular television programmes.

English in Education Journal - Marcello Giovanelli

The volume is highly recommended to students of linguistics, media studies, communication studies, and cultural studies that are surely going to find it pleasant to read and discuss.

LINGUIST List.org - Sabina Tabacaru

Watching TV with a Linguist encourages listeners to engage in active listening and provides excellent suggestions on ways to do it.. Because it provides another way to open our eyes and ears to the phenomena that is language, the book is extremely valuable.

Voice and Speech Review - Diane Robinson