Bücher von Jill Taylor

Sound Evidence documents the range of phonological varieties in use in Aix-en-Provence and investigates the social pressures on convergence towards the standard, such as gender-related speech differences, education, geographical and social mobility, and perhaps most importantly, linguistic and regional identity including bilingualism, the emotional ties of language and relationships of members of a regionally-homogeneous community with the way they speak, exposing language as a rich tapestry through which we reveal, or conceal, ever-changing notions of our social identity.

Twenty-six years ago in Malaysia, the author gave birth to a smalll miracle. She was called Nadya - later Rebecah - and she was profoundly deaf.This is a magical account of a life with a difference. Rebecah's mother knew soon after she the birth that her child was special. As she says, 'Seeing and knowing what has been achieved here touches my heart and gives me joy. No wonder I have been guided to write her story.'Rebecah's discovery of ideas and words, her ventures into lip-reading and conversation, school days in West Yorkshire and Berkshire, art school and a university degree - these steps are faithfully and painstkingly recorded. With her mother's help Rebecah was able to venture out into the world and investigate the other more spiritual dimensions of human existance. Indeed, there are moments of wonder, humour and mysticism here in the author's own life that are as intense as Rebecah's triumphant struggle to slip the surly bonds of silence... and touch the face of God.