Roger Fowler – författare

Originally published in 1979. This book studies language variation as a part of social practice - how language expresses and helps regulate social relationships of all kinds. Different groups, classes, institutions and situations have their special modes of language and these varieties are not just stylistic reflections of social differences; speaking or writing in a certain manner entails articulating certain social meanings, however implicit. This book focuses on the repressive and falsifying side of linguistic practice but not without recognising the power of language to reveal and communicate. It analyses the language used in a variety of situations, including news reporting, interviews, rules and regulations, even such apparently innocuous language as the rhymes on greetings cards. It argues for a critical linguistics capable of exposing distortion and mystification in language, and introduces some basic tools for a do-it-yourself analysis of language, ideology and control.

Originally published in 1979. This book studies language variation as a part of social practice - how language expresses and helps regulate social relationships of all kinds. Different groups, classes, institutions and situations have their special modes of language and these varieties are not just stylistic reflections of social differences; speaking or writing in a certain manner entails articulating certain social meanings, however implicit. This book focuses on the repressive and falsifying side of linguistic practice but not without recognising the power of language to reveal and communicate. It analyses the language used in a variety of situations, including news reporting, interviews, rules and regulations, even such apparently innocuous language as the rhymes on greetings cards. It argues for a critical linguistics capable of exposing distortion and mystification in language, and introduces some basic tools for a do-it-yourself analysis of language, ideology and control.

It is widely recognized that language is humanity’s most distinctive and valuable faculty. In this work, originally published in 1974, Roger Fowler explains the character and absorbing interest of language. Designed as an introductory text for students and others concerned with human communication, the book is clearly and concisely written, yet it in no way oversimplifies its rich and complicated subject.

The opening chapters set the scene by a discussion of the power of language in the social and psychological life of a man, while the main body of the book is an introduction to linguistics, the science of language study. Coverage is provided of the main topics in linguistic description – semantics, syntax, phonetics – as well as of the functions of language, its status in society and its relation to the individual. The reader is invited to participate in some advanced thinking within an up-to-date and consistent linguistic theory. Particular attention is given to the individual as language-learner, since the process of language acquisition illuminates most clearly the naturalness and the complexity of language.

The author’s arguments are illustrated with hundreds of examples from English and other languages. Suggestions for further reading are included in the exposition, and the reader who follows the arguments and pursues the carefully arranged bibliographical recommendations will acquire a substantial insight into contemporary linguistics – the most important and advanced of the modern human sciences.

Originally published in 1966, this book provides students of the earliest stage of our literature with a selection of texts for a complete introductory course. All the principal poems and prose works in this literature are represented, including more generous extracts from Beowulf than are common in anthologies of this type. By omitting texts of primarily philological and historical interest it has been possible to include enough literary texts to satisfy all but the advanced student, who will follow this volume with the specialised editions available. A departure from the traditional design of Old English anthologies is the provision of full critical and annotative apparatus. In the past it has been necessary for students to go beyond their Readers, to specialised editions or to learned articles, in order to discover even the most basic information about the extracts or their content. Here each text is accompanied by an introduction which gives brief details of (where known) date, authorship, manuscript situation, character and critical interest. Line-by-line explanatory notes are also provided, and a bibliography of books and articles for further study. The glossary aims to be more explicit about form and meaning, and easier to use than those of earlier selections.

It is widely recognized that language is humanity’s most distinctive and valuable faculty. In this work, originally published in 1974, Roger Fowler explains the character and absorbing interest of language. Designed as an introductory text for students and others concerned with human communication, the book is clearly and concisely written, yet it in no way oversimplifies its rich and complicated subject.

The opening chapters set the scene by a discussion of the power of language in the social and psychological life of a man, while the main body of the book is an introduction to linguistics, the science of language study. Coverage is provided of the main topics in linguistic description – semantics, syntax, phonetics – as well as of the functions of language, its status in society and its relation to the individual. The reader is invited to participate in some advanced thinking within an up-to-date and consistent linguistic theory. Particular attention is given to the individual as language-learner, since the process of language acquisition illuminates most clearly the naturalness and the complexity of language.

The author’s arguments are illustrated with hundreds of examples from English and other languages. Suggestions for further reading are included in the exposition, and the reader who follows the arguments and pursues the carefully arranged bibliographical recommendations will acquire a substantial insight into contemporary linguistics – the most important and advanced of the modern human sciences.

Originally published in 1966, this book provides students of the earliest stage of our literature with a selection of texts for a complete introductory course. All the principal poems and prose works in this literature are represented, including more generous extracts from Beowulf than are common in anthologies of this type. By omitting texts of primarily philological and historical interest it has been possible to include enough literary texts to satisfy all but the advanced student, who will follow this volume with the specialised editions available. A departure from the traditional design of Old English anthologies is the provision of full critical and annotative apparatus. In the past it has been necessary for students to go beyond their Readers, to specialised editions or to learned articles, in order to discover even the most basic information about the extracts or their content. Here each text is accompanied by an introduction which gives brief details of (where known) date, authorship, manuscript situation, character and critical interest. Line-by-line explanatory notes are also provided, and a bibliography of books and articles for further study. The glossary aims to be more explicit about form and meaning, and easier to use than those of earlier selections.

This book, first published in 1987, differs from many other ‘dictionaries of criticism’ in concentrating less on time-honoured rhetorical terms and more on conceptually flexible, powerful terms. Each entry consists of not simply a dictionary definition but an essay exploring the history and full significance of the term, and its possibilities in critical discourse. This title is an ideal basic reference text for literature students of all levels.

In The Language of Literature, first published in 1971, Roger Fowler argues that the vitality and centrality of the verbal dimension of literature, and, read as a whole, the papers in this collection imply a consistent point of view on language in literature. The author focuses on the continuity of language in literature with language outside literature, on its cultural appropriateness and adjustment, and on its power to create aesthetic patterns and to organise concepts, to make fictions. This title will be of interest to students of literary theory.