Bücher von Marcel Danesi

Scientific evidence for the origin of speech is abundant, but evidence for the origin of language as separate from speech as a naming system remains speculative. What evidence can be utilized that will furnish relevant insights on the origin or language? This book attempts to provide an answer by suggesting that the first riddles of humanity, along with the first myths, reveal that language may have emerged as a mode of reflection via metaphora mode that involves blending speech forms together to produce complex, abstract cognition.

Learn to speak Italian as fluently as Italians do-an indispensable guide, now with a timely new chapter on remote communicationWhether you're learning Italian now at an intermediate level or looking to brush up on your Italian conversational skills, Practice Makes Perfect: Italian Conversation offers a unique and effective way to learn to speak the language fluently and spontaneously. You'll get a handle on sentence building right away, through extensive exercises that let you practice what you've learned through engaging dialogues and numerous real-life examples.Based on the successful approach of the Practice Makes Perfect series, Practice Makes Perfect: Italian Conversation, Premium Third Edition is organized around 11 units that present specific conversational functions, from Striking Up a Conversation to Giving Opinions, each exemplified with short dialogues that are also available as audio recordings via app. The units provide you the opportunity not simply to converse, but to build and support your knowledge of the language with essential instruction on correct pronunciation, grammar, syntax and word usage.Proven approach to learning helps you get a handle on Italian conversation right away, and build on your learnings as you goSupported by audio recordings, via app, of all 60 dialogues, plus numerous exercise answers850 exercise questions help you practice what you've learned through dialogues and practical examplesA special conversational "markers" table in the index shows important elements of conversation that have no exact equivalents in EnglishNEW: Includes a timely chapter on remote communication (video conferencing)

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Semiotics has had a profound impact on our comprehension of a wide range of phenomena, from how animals signify and communicate, to how people read TV commercials. This series features books on semiotic theory and applications of that theory to understanding media, language, and related subjects. The series publishes scholarly monographs of wide appeal to students and interested non-specialists as well as scholars. AAS is a peer-reviewed series of international scope.

Semiotics has had a profound impact on our comprehension of a wide range of phenomena, from how animals signify and communicate, to how people read TV commercials. This series features books on semiotic theory and applications of that theory to understanding media, language, and related subjects. The series publishes scholarly monographs of wide appeal to students and interested non-specialists as well as scholars. AAS is a peer-reviewed series of international scope.

The book provides an introduction to an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that can be called "e;global linguistics"e; (GL). GL emerges to tackle the ever-growing phenomenon of intercultural communication (IC) in today's world of international contacts. The specific aim of GL is to look at the form and contents of dialogues among speakers of different cultural backgrounds who will use a "e;default language"e; or koine (usually English) to interact, in order to detect communication breakdowns at various levels of "e;depth"e;, as well as the opportunities for developing sound intercultural communication practice. The book includes an accessible presentation of fundamental questions concerning languages and language use. Among the questions addressed are the universal design features of languages, the connection between language and conceptual systems, how people use language to coordinate their actions and interact in a variety of social contexts, and the place of language in a semiotic view of culture. The volume also addresses how language, context and culture shape the way in which we argue a point and try to persuade other people, and why intercultural argumentation is both necessary and risky.Global Linguistics: An Introduction describes fundamental notions in linguistics and cognate fields and is thus well-suited for use as a textbook in courses dealing with IC in general. At the same time, the book is of general interest to scholars in linguistics and communication studies, as it places particular emphasis on theoretical models such as argumentation theory and conceptual metaphor theory, which are generally not presented in textbooks on language and IC.

This book shows how language can be used strategically to manipulate beliefs.From Machiavelli to P. T. Barnum to Donald Trump, many have perfected the art of strategically using language to gain the upper hand, set a tone, change the subject, or influence people's beliefs and behaviors. Language--both words themselves and rhetorical tactics such as metaphor, irony, slang, and humor--can effectively manipulate the minds of the listener. In this book, Marcel Danesi, a renowned linguistic anthropologist and semiotician, looks at language that is used not to present arguments logically or rationally, but to "move" audiences in order to gain their confidence and build consensus. He demonstrates that through language techniques communicators can not only sway opinions but also shape listeners' very perception of reality. He assesses how the communicative environment in which the art of the lie unfolds--such as on social media or in emotionally-charged gatherings--impacts the results.Danesi also investigates why lies are often accepted as valid. Artful lying fits in with an Internet society that is largely disinterested in what is true and what is false and in which attention is often given to speech that is entertaining or persuasive. Have we become immune to lies because of a social media discourse shaped by untruths? In an electronic age where facts are deemed irrelevant and conspiracies are accorded as much credibility as truths, this book discusses the implications of lying and language for the future of belief, ethics, and American democracy itself.

The Semiotics of Love brings together work on early symbolism, literary practices, and contemporary communication on the theme of romance and the idea of love to forge an understanding of the semiotic-cultural side of romance.

Using both verbal and nonverbal techniques to make its messages as persuasive as possible, advertising has become an integral component of modern-day social discourse designed to influence attitudes and lifestyle behaviors by covertly suggesting how we can best satisfy our innermost urges and aspirations through consumption. This book looks at the categories of this form of discourse from the standpoint of semiotic analysis. It deals with the signifying processes that underlie advertising messages in print, electronic, and digital form.

Positioning youth culture as a 20th century social experiment that is coming to an end, Marcel Danesi discusses the various musically-defined eras that saw rise to hippie culture, punk, disco, and the hip-hop movement, among other social groups. The chapters explore how these generations were instrumental in the fight against racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and sexual repression.

Why do people routinely risk their health by smoking cigarettes? Why do some females make walking a struggle by donning high heels? In a fully updated edition, the author attempts to answer such questions by explaining the discipline that endeavors to understand the human meaning quest: semiotics.

This book examines the use of cryptography in both real and fictional crimes - a topic that is rarely broached. It discusses famous crimes, such as that of the Zodiac Killer, that revolve around cryptic messages and current uses of encryption that make solving cases harder and harder.

Danesi employs the lens of history to explore the relationship between popular culture's content and the means by which it is delivered. The third edition features new chapters on the commercial context of pop culture and explicitly focused on digital culture, as well as exercises and discussion prompts to deepen understanding.

Using the Dexter saga of novels and television programs as its basis, the book argues that a "Dexter Syndrome" has emerged whereby we no longer see a difference between real and fictional serial killers.

In this user-friendly dictionary of popular culture, over 800 A-to-Z entries provide historical information, definitions, and brief commentaries about the theories, media forms, fads, celebrities and icons, genres, and commonly-used terms relevant to the study of popular culture. Includes cross-references and a thematic table of contents.

Presents a listing of media concepts, figures, and techniques with illustrations and historical commentaries. This dictionary includes terms related to psychology, linguistics, aesthetics, computer science, semiotics, culture theory, anthropology, and those that have relevance in media studies.

Guiding readers through the basics of how to interpret ads, this work explores everything from product and package design to jingles, cyberadvertising, ad campaigns, global impacts, culture jamming, and advertising effects. It is for readers interested in how ads, marketing, and branding take hold in the consumer psyche.

This volume offers a practical introduction to the use of neuroscience to teach second languages. It provides information on the relation between how the brain learns and how this can be used to construct classroom activities, evaluates methods, syllabi, approaches, etc.