Language in Thought and ActionIn 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. 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. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - echaika - LibraryThingThis is actually a reprint of his famous 1939 book and a world of sociolinguistic research has accrued since then, but this was the pioneering text. It is still interesting and fun to read, but don't stop here. It's a very interesting field. Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - chriszodrow - LibraryThingA classic. I try to read this at least once a year since I first read it in 1998. Read full review

