Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  The United States of English -...

  Rosemarie Ostler

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  The story of how English became American—and how it became Southern, Bostonian, Californian, African American, Chicano, elite, working-class, urban, rural, and everything in between 
   
   
   
  By the time of the Revolution, the English that Americans spoke was recognizably different from the British variety. Americans added dozens of new words to the language, either borrowed from Native Americans (raccoon, persimmon, caucus) or created from repurposed English (backwoods, cane brake, salt lick). Americans had their own pronunciations (bath rhymed with hat, not hot) and their own spelling (honor, not honour), not to mention a host of new expressions that grew out of the American landscape and culture (blaze a trail, back track, pull up stakes). Americans even invented their own slang, like stiff as a ringbolt to mean drunk. American English has continued to grow and change ever since. 
   
   
   
  The United States of English tells the engrossing tale of how the American language evolved over four hundred years, explaining both how and why it changed and which parts of the "mother tongue" it preserved (I guess was heard in the British countryside long before it became a typical Americanism). Plentiful examples of the American vernacular, past and present, bring the language to life and make for an engaging as well as enlightening listen.

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  Where the Light Begins - Stories...

  Ralph Klose, Daniela Klose

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  Where the Light Begins explores one of the most subtle and yet profound frontiers of human experience: children's near-death experiences. When children come close to death, some return with memories that challenge easy explanation. They describe a light that feels like home, presence without form, and connection beyond language. Their words are simple and expressed with calm certainty. They do not speculate. They remember. 
  Based on real-life cases, hospice encounters, and years of listening to children and families, this book offers a rare and deeply human, child-centered perspective within near-death research. Each story is told with warmth and care, followed by interdisciplinary commentary and reflection drawn from psychology, neuroscience, and consciousness studies. 
  Rather than attempting to prove or disprove the existence of an afterlife, Where the Light Begins poses a more compelling question: What do these experiences reveal about the nature of consciousness itself? Time and again, the children who return experience a shift in perception that remains long after the medical crisis has passed. 
  Written in thoughtful and accessible language, this book provides reflections without dogma and wonder without sensationalism. It gently invites listeners to approach the topic thoughtfully and with an open mind, offering comfort, insight, and a sense of connection. 
  This is not a book about dying. It is a book about consciousness, the boundaries of life, and the possibility that children may be among our most honest guides to the deeper dimensions of being.

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  Discovering Your Plot - Think...

  M.A. Lee

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  What do writers want from plot? 
  What do writers need from plot? 
  Are those questions the same? Not really. As wordsmiths, we writers know that want and need are two different words. 
  ·      The want is a circumstance that we writers can control. We want plot specifics to help us craft story and exceed reader expectations. 
  ·      The need is a circumstance of obligations from reader expectations of story. While readers may want the comfort of the genre elements (the tropes), they also wish to have their interest and curiosity piqued. 
  Can we writers deliver on the expectations and the surprises in order to please our readers? That’s the question that Discovering Your Plot answers. 
  This guidebook covers plot structure and the necessities of genre expectations so we writers can anticipate what readers want. It explores the six most common plot structures and has a detailed examination of 12 major sections in all novels, no matter the genre. 
  By the end of Discovering Your Plot¸ writers will have the tools to construct a story as well as diagnose problems with pacing, tension and suspense, and sequencing events. 
  Discovering Your Plot is Book 6 in the Think like a Pro Writer series and the second of the Discovering set of how-to guidebooks for writers at all skill levels. While the approach is for newbies, every writer can benefit from this fresh look at any novel’s framework. 
  With her two other pen names, author M.A. Lee has published over 50 titles of fiction and nonfiction.

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  Wordslut - A Feminist Guide to...

  Amanda Montell

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  “As funny as it is informative, this book will have you laughing out loud while you contemplate the revolutionary power of words.” —Camille Perri, author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy 
  A brash, enlightening, and wildly entertaining feminist look at gendered language and the way it shapes us. 
  The word bitch conjures many images for many people, but it is most often meant to describe an unpleasant woman. Even before its usage to mean a female canine, bitch didn’t refer to gender at all—it originated as a gender-neutral word meaning genitalia. A perfectly innocuous word devolving into a female insult is the case for tons more terms, including hussy—which simply meant housewife—or slut, which meant an untidy person and was also used to describe men. These words are just a few among history’s many English slurs hurled at women. 
  Amanda Montell, reporter and feminist linguist, deconstructs language—from insults and cursing, gossip, and catcalling to grammar and pronunciation patterns—to reveal the ways it has been used for centuries to keep women and other marginalized genders from power. Ever wonder why so many people are annoyed when women talk with vocal fry or use the word like as a filler? Or why certain gender-neutral terms stick and others don’t? Or where stereotypes of how women and men speak come from in the first place? 
  Montell effortlessly moves between history, science, and popular culture to explore these questions and more—and how we can use the answers to effect real social change. Her irresistible humor shines through, making linguistics not only approachable but both downright hilarious and profound, demonstrated in chapters such as:Slutty Skanks and Nasty Dykes: A Comprehensive List of Gendered InsultsHow to Embarrass the Shit Out of People Who Try to Correct Your GrammarFuck it: An Ode to Cursing While FemaleCyclops, Panty Puppet, Bald Headed Bastard and 100+ Other Things to Call Your Genitalia 
  Wordslut gets to the heart of our language, marvels at its elasticity, and sheds much-needed light into the biases that shadow women in our culture and our consciousness. 
  Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

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  100 Quotes by Denis Diderot

  Denis Diderot

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  Featuring some of the most brilliant and notable sayings from a man living on the cusp of a revolutionising world, ‘100 Quotes by Denis Diderot’ uncovers one of the most influential – yet almost forgotten – figures of the Age of Enlightenment. French writer, philosopher, and art critic Diderot is most famous for being the co-creator and editor of the ‘Encyclopédie’, which featured many contributors and is now regarded as one of the precursors of the French Revolution. This impressive collection captures his best musings and thoughts, ideal for those looking to explore one of the greatest thinkers of the age.Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a French writer, philosopher, art critic, and co-founder and editor of the ‘Encyclopédie’. Having been passed over by the Académie Française and received little recognition for his work, it wasn’t until Empress Catherine the Great appointed Diderot as her librarian in 1766 that his reputation – and finances - improved. He remains today one of the most prominent figures during the Age of the Enlightenment, and a strong influence on the beginnings of the French Revolution.

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  Container Conjure - Crafting...

  Starr Casas

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  “Starr Casas guides you to understand the traditions and very much draws upon the lessons she’s learned over a lifetime of Conjure, but she also makes it abundantly clear that you are a magical container yourself, and your powers of enchantment are limited only by your imagination.”—from the foreword by Cory Thomas HutchesonThe Definitive Guide to Container and Jar MagicOne of the oldest and most traditional forms of magic, container spells are used for all sorts of purposes, from love to protection to money, and are an increasingly popular style of spellcasting. Container magic is known for its simplicity, featuring ingredients and containers commonly found in the home. Containers range from the portable, such as charm bags and coffee containers, to larger containers, such as living plants and tire planters. Container Conjure teaches readers, armed with nothing more than a handful of simple ingredients and their discernment, the ins and outs of performing container magic for themselves.Starr Casas is an acknowledged authority on and master of Conjure-style container magic. In Container Conjure, Mama Starr teaches you how to load your own containers and maintain control over your spellcasting. Starr’s container magic method is not limited to jars; she also uses dolls, sachets, fruit, and other organic material as “containers,” making this form of magic accessible to practitioners at any level.

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