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"English language Humor."
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It's Been Said Before
Careful writers and speakers agree that cliches are generally to be avoided. However, nearly all of us continue to use them. Why do they persist in our language? In It's Been Said Before, lexicographer Orin Hargraves examines the peculiar idea and power of the cliche. He helps readers understand why certain phrases became cliches and why they should be avoided -- or why they still have life left in them. Indeed, cliches can be useful -- even powerful. And few people even agree on which expressions are cliches and which are not. Many regard any frequent idiom as a cliche, and a phrase regarded as a cliche in one context may be seen simply as an effective expression in another. Examples drawn from data about actual usage support Hargraves' identification of true cliches. They also illuminate his commentary on usage problems and helpful suggestions for eliminating cliches where they serve no useful purpose. Concise and lively, It's Been Said Before serves as a guide to the most overused phrases in the English language -- and to phrases that are used exactly as often as they should be.
eBook
Recreation and style : translating humorous literature in Italian and English
This volume explores the translation of literary and humorous style, including comedy, irony, satire, parody and the grotesque, from Italian to English and vice versa. The innovative and interdisciplinary theoretical approach places the focus on creativity and playful rewriting as central to the translation of humour. Analysing translations of works by Rosa Cappiello, Dario Fo, Will Self and Anthony Burgess, the author explores literary translation as a form of exchange between translated and receiving cultures. In a final case study she recounts her own strategies in translating the work of Milena Agus, exploring humour, creation and recreation from the perspective of the translator and demonstrating the benefits of critical engagement with both the theory and the practice of translation. This unique contribution to the study of humour and literary style in translation will be of interest to scholars of translation, humour, comparative literature, and literary and cultural studies.
eBook
The Superior person's complete book of words : an orgulous verbal arsenal for everyday use
\"What Bowler manages to do in this omnium gatherum of over 1,000 words that all of us have (very) occasionally heard but have no idea how to use, is not only to provide their definitions (easy enough) but also to offer, for the first time, practical advice on how to use these words in real-life situations, to confound your friends, irritate your enemies, and impress your superiors. Thus the reader will not only learn the meaning of aprosexia, but also how best to use it when filling out their sick leave application form. Sample sentences, in comprehensible and often hilarious prose, are given for every word providing a verbal arsenal potent enough to 'confuse, deter, embarrass, humiliate, puzzle, deceive, disconcert, alarm, insult (and occasionally compliment) everyone' with relative impunity\"--Amazon.com.
Book
The Local Construction of a Global Language
In South Korea, English is a language of utmost importance, sought with an unprecedented zeal as an indispensable commodity in education, business, popular culture, and national policy. This book investigates how the status of English as a hegemonic language in South Korea is constructed through the mediation of language ideologies in local discourse. Adopting the framework of language ideology and its current developments, it is argued that English in Korean society is a subject of deep-rooted ambiguities, with multiple and sometimes conflicting ideologies coexisting within a tension-ridden discursive space. The complex ways in which these ideologies are reproduced, contested, and negotiated through specific metalinguistic practices across diverse sites ultimately contribute to a local realization of the global hegemony of English as an international language. Through its insightful analysis of metalinguistic discourse in language policy debates, cross-linguistic humor, television shows, and face-to-face interaction, The Local Construction of a Global Language makes an original contribution to the study of language and globalization, proposing an innovative analytic approach that bridges the gap between the investigation of large-scale global forces and the study of micro-level discourse practices.
eBook
Best in class : essential wisdom from real student writing
\"From the very first week of Tim Clancy's 25-year career as a high school English teacher, he began to notice and collect funny and strange moments he discovered in his students' writing, moments like: \"The word \"witch\" has become a household word, like spatula,\" and \"Wherever excitement is, there will always be romance. Trust me.\" He would occasionally share them with his classes, who enjoyed them as much as he did, and so this book was born. I Like Literature . . . collects nearly 200 of the most entertaining of these moments from real student writing and complements them with dozens of playful illustrations to create a sympathetically hilarious book for anyone who has muddled their way through the wilderness of a school writing assignment\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Exploring EFL Teachers' and Learners' Perception of L2 Humor: A Case Study of Iranian English Language Institutes
The present paper deals with the perception of Iranian EFL teachers and learners in using humor in language classrooms. To this end, 10 English classes with a population of 70 female and male students and 5 male and female teachers in English language institutes in Esfahan were observed during spring and summer 2019. Using an ethnographic approach, the data were collected through observation and interview. The results showed that both teachers and learners had a positive attitude towards the use of L2 humor in the classroom. Language learners reasoned that having a sense of humor is one of the important qualities a language teacher should possess. The teachers and language learners acknowledged the positive effects of humor such as reducing the distance between teachers and learners, lowering learners’ anxiety, boosting learners’ retention of the lesson, as well as increasing their concentration and motivation. Moreover, language learners showed a preference for the use L2 humor, course-related humor, and L1 norm-oriented types of humor in their classroom.
Journal Article
It's been said before : a guide to the use and abuse of clichés
\"This book provides a concise and lively guide to the most abused phrases in the English language today\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
The Language of Humour
The Language of Humour:* examines the importance of the social context for humour* explores the issue of gender and humour in areas such as the New Lad culture in comedy and stand-up comedy* includes comic transcripts from TV sketches such as Clive Anderson and Peter Cook
eBook