The Linguistics of Lying And Other Essays

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book The Linguistics of Lying And Other Essays by Harald Weinrich, University of Washington Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Harald Weinrich ISBN: 9780295801728
Publisher: University of Washington Press Publication: January 1, 2012
Imprint: University of Washington Press Language: English
Author: Harald Weinrich
ISBN: 9780295801728
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Publication: January 1, 2012
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Language: English

Can language hide thoughts? This question, posed by the German Academy for Language and Literature in 1965 as the topic of its first essay competition, was taken up by the philologist Harald Weinrich, with far-ranging results. The most immediate was his claiming first prize with this volume's title essay, published the following year as Linguistik der Luge. Weinrich's influential essay, now in its sixth printing in Germany, is presented here for the first time in English, with an updated preface by the author and additional essays selected by him.

With wit and clarity, Weinrich brings sophisticated thinking about semantics to bear on the question of how, and how much, language corresponds to thought. He argues that lying is a function not of words but of sentences; it belongs to the semantic aspect of language. His survey of the different ways in which language is untrue forges striking links between linguistic and literary categories on the one hand and ethics and even good manners on the other.

In contrast with scholars of an earlier generation, for whom literary and cultural theory circumscribed the issue of style within a fixed aesthetic framework, Weinrich demonstrates that stylistic analysis is closely linked with analysis in the domains of sociology and anthropology. The essays "Jonah's Sign: On the Very Large and the Very Small in Literature," "Politeness, an Affair of Honor," "Politeness and Sincerity," and "The Style Is the Man Is the Devil" complement "The Linguistics of Lying" in their focus on real and false representations in literature and in life, and notably on the immensely destructive lies, Adolf Hitler's in particular, that marked the politics of the twentieth century.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Can language hide thoughts? This question, posed by the German Academy for Language and Literature in 1965 as the topic of its first essay competition, was taken up by the philologist Harald Weinrich, with far-ranging results. The most immediate was his claiming first prize with this volume's title essay, published the following year as Linguistik der Luge. Weinrich's influential essay, now in its sixth printing in Germany, is presented here for the first time in English, with an updated preface by the author and additional essays selected by him.

With wit and clarity, Weinrich brings sophisticated thinking about semantics to bear on the question of how, and how much, language corresponds to thought. He argues that lying is a function not of words but of sentences; it belongs to the semantic aspect of language. His survey of the different ways in which language is untrue forges striking links between linguistic and literary categories on the one hand and ethics and even good manners on the other.

In contrast with scholars of an earlier generation, for whom literary and cultural theory circumscribed the issue of style within a fixed aesthetic framework, Weinrich demonstrates that stylistic analysis is closely linked with analysis in the domains of sociology and anthropology. The essays "Jonah's Sign: On the Very Large and the Very Small in Literature," "Politeness, an Affair of Honor," "Politeness and Sincerity," and "The Style Is the Man Is the Devil" complement "The Linguistics of Lying" in their focus on real and false representations in literature and in life, and notably on the immensely destructive lies, Adolf Hitler's in particular, that marked the politics of the twentieth century.

More books from University of Washington Press

Cover of the book Atomic Frontier Days by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Writing the South Seas by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book The Life and Times of John Trevisa, Medieval Scholar by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Warnings against Myself by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Nisei Soldiers Break Their Silence by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Frontier Livelihoods by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Skookum Summer by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book The Boy Who Shot the Sheriff by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Agayuliyararput/Our Way of Making Prayer by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Encounters in Avalanche Country by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book A Sephardi Life in Southeastern Europe by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book DDT, Silent Spring, and the Rise of Environmentalism by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book The New Way by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Legal Reform in Taiwan under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945 by Harald Weinrich
Cover of the book Cottonwood and the River of Time by Harald Weinrich
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy