World Languages

Book News Reviews (Book News)

Foundational issues, meaning, and reference are the themes scholars explore as they introduce one the newer and more controversial schools of philosophy. Among specific topics are the nature of meaning, analyticity again, propositional attitude ascription, names, naturalistic theories of reference, and truth.

Choice Reviews 2007 September (Choice Magazine)

Encompassing typical and atypical development of language, this volume offers a comprehensive compilation of contemporary research. Hoff (Florida Atlantic Univ.) and Shatz (Univ. of Michigan) open the volume with a section on basic language research then organize the research by periods of development--infancy, early childhood, and "after early childhood," the last including information on language development across the school years.

Among the topics covered are the various aspects of language, theoretical approaches, second-language acquisition, and language and literacy in bilingual children. Discussion of atypical language development focuses on specific language impairment, autism, reading disorders, Williams Syndrome, and Down Syndrome.

By reporting on current research and past theory, the contributors, all professionals, attempt to answer the question of how language is acquired and developed. But they also recognize gaps of knowledge in past and current research and make recommendations for future topics of study.

This beautifully presented six-volume encyclopedia expands on the 1996 edition, edited by Barbara A. Tenenbaum et al., continuing the earlier work's tradition of providing the best scholarship on Latin American history and culture.

Large portions of the articles have been replaced, revised, and updated. Time periods range from the prehistoric to contemporary Latin America. The broad geographic scope includes not only Latin America but also Spanish Brazil, the Portuguese Empire, and non-Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries.

Other unique features include maps for all Latin American countries, national statistics, and extensive chronology. Readers may notice a distinct focus on the political, social, and economic history of Latin America.

Copyright 2008 American Library Association.

The International Encyclopedia of Communication represents the definitive reference work in this interdisciplinary and dynamic field. This authoritative twelve-volume set is jointly published by Wiley-Blackwell and the International Communication Association (ICA), the leading academic association of the discipline in the world.