T. C. Ross

Overstanding the Language of I-man, 25. Juli 2000

With Dread Talk, Velma Pollard has done a remarkable job of both describing the language of Rastafarians, highlighting its growth from and influence upon Standard Jamaican English and Jamaican Patois, and explaining the cultural and philosophical rationale behind the language. She also tracks its influence, growth and spread across the Caribbean and around the world. Linguists and others interested in the growth of language (especially when the growth is partially shaped by a sociocultural agenda) should find Dread Talk an interesting read. Especially illuminating are the discussions of the ways new words are formed and the illustrations of these processes from Rasta poetry and… Mehr dazu

Interesting Collection of Academic Essays, 19. Juli 2000

This book derives from a conference about the Confederados and it occasionally suffers from the attempt to edit together a group of papers that frequently overlap. With this one caveat, I must say that The Confederados is fascinating. Despite the occasionally kludgey back and forth references to other essays and chapters (and the repetition of material), the Dawsey's have assembled a fine book that examines the impact and legacy of post-Civil War immigrants from the U.S. South to Brazil; it also points out the contributions of other immigrants from the North and Europe who came to Brazil at roughly the same time. Especially interesting is the memoir of a Confederada, written late in… Mehr dazu

Fun and Informative, 13. Juni 2000

The Aussies at Lonely Planet have done it again. I am totally convinced that Lonely Planet phrasebooks make for some of the most fun and entertaining reading around when it comes to foreign-language guides and this effort to demystify the oddities of the Queen's English just underscores that belief. Filled with asides about British culture and history -- and with a complete chapters on British sport, slang, regional accents/dialects, and Cockney rhyming slang -- this phrasebook is idea for a trip abroad or for simply trying to figure out what's going on on "Eastenders." The Scottish Gaelic and Welsh chapters are nice, although (and I'm just being picky here) a bit more on… Mehr dazu