Richard J. Watts Book order

The book explores the evolution of language through an interdisciplinary lens, integrating insights from linguistics, archaeology, molecular biology, and other fields. It seeks to align human evolutionary studies with contemporary linguistic theories, crafting a plausible narrative of the emergence and development of human language. The approach emphasizes adaptability, remaining receptive to advancements in both linguistic and non-linguistic research, fostering a comprehensive understanding of language's historical context.

GEORGE HOLMES (1861-1940) was an avid and accomplished sailor on and around the Humber in small craft of his own design. Tony Watts has drawn on his prolific output of writing, drawing and design to produce this, The Essential George Holmes.

The collection features 13 original papers that explore the evolution of linguistic politeness research, building on foundational work from 1992. The updated introductory section highlights the ongoing relevance and impact of these articles, emphasizing their significance in shaping future studies in the field as it advances into the 21st century.

During the last fifteen years, existing models of linguistic politeness have generated a huge amount of empirical research. Using a wide range of data from real-life speech situations, this new introduction to politeness breaks away from the limitations of current models and argues that the proper object of study in politeness theory must be commonsense notions of what politeness and impoliteness are. From this, Watts argues, a more appropriate model, one based on Bourdieu's concept of social practice, is developed.

This book presents a wide variety of approaches to and attitudes towards multiculturalism on the level of language, on the level of education and on the level of policy making. Several of the chapters refer specifically to Australia, since that country has taken the bold step of defining what it understands by the term 'multicultural'. This book, however, also takes the reader to Europe, South-Africa, Canada and Japan. Without exception the authors embrace a humanistic approach to sociology, which includes the notion of cultural core values and the desirability of creating an overarching framework of shared values in multicultural states.

This collection of 13 original papers focuses on the phenomenon of politeness in language. It presents the most important problems in developing a theory of linguistic politeness, which must deal with the crucial differences between lay notions of politeness in different cultures and the term ‘politeness’ as a concept within a theory of linguistic politeness. The universal validity of the term itself is called into question, as are models such as those developed by Brown and Levinson, Lakoff, and Leech. New approaches are suggested. In addition to this theoretical discussion, an empirical section presents a number of case studies and research projects in linguistic politeness. These show what has been achieved within current models and what still remains to be done, in particular with reference to cross-cultural studies in politeness and differences between a Western and a non-Western approach to the subject.