Battistella suggests quot how we might think more productively about language.quot After broadly introducing his topic, Battistella focuses specifically on writing, grammar and so-called quot badquot words (quot Usage is less a matter of permanent fixed traditions than it is a matter of flexible and contextual conventionsquot ), and also includes chapters on American attitudes toward immigrant foreign language speakers and accent use. He maintains that hard-nosed, traditional ideas about what is quot goodquot and what is quot badquot are open to debate, and that labeling English as either quot goodquot or quot badquot is simplistic and unnecessary. What constitutes quot badquot language? Is it slang? Curse words? In this academic volume, Battistella, a professor of English, examines language's relationship to social conditions and constraints and argues for relativism in looking at language.
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