Language in Thought and Action
Fifth Edition
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · January 1, 1991
In an era when communication has become increasingly diverse and complex, this classic work on semantics—now fully revised and updated—distills the relationship between language and those who use it.
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- Who it’s for
- A thoughtful look at how language shapes thought, public messages, and everyday life.
- Themes
- Language and thought, Language and prejudice, Linguistic analysis of media
- Genres
- Semantics, Communication Studies, Philosophy of Language
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For younger readers: Dreyer's English (adapted for Young Readers)
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In an era when communication has become increasingly diverse and complex, this classic work on semantics—now fully revised and updated—distills the relationship between language and those who use it. Renowned professor and former U.S. Senator S. I. Hayakawa discusses the role of language in human life, the many functions of language, and how language—sometimes without our knowing—shapes our thinking in this engaging and highly respected book.
Continue reading
Provocative and erudite, it examines the relationship between language and racial and religious prejudice; the nature and dangers of advertising from a linguistic point of view; and, in an additional chapter called “The Empty Eye,” the content, form, and hidden message of television, from situation comedies to news coverage to political advertising.
Words at Work
A thoughtful look at how language shapes thought, public messages, and everyday life.
Come here for
- Explore language’s role in racial and religious prejudice
- Read advertising and television through a linguistic lens
Expect
- An erudite, provocative account of language’s many functions
- Connections between words, thought, and the people who use them
Where it sits
| Semantics | 96% |
|---|---|
| Philosophy of Language | 45% |
| Communication Studies | 37% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Education Resources
- Teaching Language Arts
- Writing as a Career
- Communication Studies
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Writing Composition
- Fiction Writing
- Writing Nonfiction & Memoir
- Linguistics
- Authors
- S.I. Hayakawa, Alan R. Hayakawa
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- January 1, 1991
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Language and thought · Language and prejudice · Linguistic analysis of media
- Reading lane
- Education Resources