Chosen for their accessibility and diversity, the readings in Making Sense of Language: Readings in Culture and Communication, Second Edition, engage students in thinking about the ability to use language--perhaps the most uniquely human of all our characteristics--and how this skill relates to both classical theories of language and contemporary life. Instead of taking an ideological stance on these issues, the text presents a range of theoretical perspectives and bolsters them with pedagogical support, including chapter introductions; critical-thinking, reading, and application questions; and a comprehensive glossary. Weaving in questions of power, gender, identity, ritual, interaction, and the nature of language throughout, the second edition of Making Sense of Language is an exemplary text for courses in language and culture and linguistic anthropology.

Table of Contents:
* INDICATES READINGS THAT ARE NEW TO THIS EDITION PART I THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE Unit 1 What Is Language? 1. Robbins Burling, Smiles, Winks, and Words. 2. Ferdinand de Saussure, Nature of the Linguistic Sign Unit 2 Language Origins 3. Charles Hockett, The Origin of Speech 4. William C. Stokoe, Signing and Speaking: Competitors, Alternatives, or Incompatibles? *5. Derek Bickerton, Symbol and Structure: A Comprehensive Framework for Language Evolution Unit 3 Language and Thought 6. Benjamin Lee Whorf, The Relation of Habitual Thought and Behavior to Language 7. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By 8. Stephen C. Levinson, Language and Mind: Let's Get the Issues Straight! Unit 4 Language Socialization *9. Elinor Ochs and Bambi B. Schieffelin, Language Acquisition and Socialization: Three Developmental Stories and Their Implications *10. Shirley Brice Heath, What No Bedtime Story Means: Narrative Skills at Home and at School *11. Patricia Baquedano-López, The Pragmatics of Reading Prayers: Learning the Act of Contrition in Spanish-based Religious Education Classes (Doctrina) Unit 5 (New) Media *12. John DeFrancis, What Is Writing? *13. Maryanne Wolf, How the Brain Adapted Itself to Read and The Birth of an Alphabet and Socrates' Protests *14. Neil Postman, The Peek-a-Boo World *15. John Durham Peters, The Quest for Authentic Connection *16. David Crystal, Why All the Fuss? *17. Jabari Mahiri, Literacies in the Lives of Urban Youth *18. Marshall T. Poe, Homo Somnians: Humanity in the Age of the Internet PART II LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY Unit 6 Multilingualism Societal Multilingualism 19. Tom McArthur, Chinese, English, Spanish - and the Rest 20. Edwin L. Battistella, Bad Language: Bad Citizens *21. Y. Suleiman, Language Education Policy-Arabic Speaking Countries *22. Anthea Fraser Gupta, The Language Ecology of Singapore Individual Multilingualism 23. Ana Celia Zentella, Bilingualism en casa *24. Inmaculada M. García-Sánchez, Serious Games: Code-Switching and Gendered Identities in Moroccan Immigrant Girls' Pretend Play Language Endangerment and Revitalization 25. John H. McWhorter, Most of the World's Languages Went Extinct *26. Donna Patrick, Indigenous Language Endangerment and the Unfinished Business of Nation States *27. Annette Boudreau and Lise Dubois, Français, Acadien, Acadjonne: Competing Discourses on Language Preservation along the Shores of the Baie Sainte-Marie *28. Ghil'ad Zuckermann and Michael Walsh, Stop, Revive, Survive : Lessons from the Hebrew Revival Applicable to the Reclamation, Maintenance and Empowerment of Aboriginal Languages and Cultures Unit 7 Language and Identity Region and Class 29. William Labov, The Social Stratification of (r) in New York City Department Stores 30. Deborah Tannen, New York Jewish Conversational Style *31. William A. Kretzschmar, Jr. Regional Dialects "Race" and Ethnicity 32. John R. Rickford, Suite for Ebony and Phonics *33. H. Samy Alim, Hip Hop Nation Language *34. Richard Rodriguez, Aria Gender 35. William M. O'Barr and Bowman K. Atkins,