Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

Davidse, Kristin / Njende, Ngum / O'Grady, Gerard, Specificational and Presentational There-Clefts: Redefining the Field of Clefts. 185 pp. 2023:8 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <706-1598>
ISBN 978-3-031-32269-3 hard ¥9,720.- (税込) EUR 39.99

This book proposes a radically new account of clefts in English. Since the 1960s, functional as well as formal linguists have generally restricted clefts to constructions with an identifying matrix (it-clefts) and have claimed that they only code information structure. Clefts are assumed to unpack a simple proposition into a focus - presupposition structure. In this book, the authors reject these theoretical-descriptive assumptions, arguing instead that clefts form a field comprising it-clefts, there-clefts and 'have'-clefts. They show that, like any other construction, clefts compositionally code propositional semantics, onto which a great variety of prosodically coded focus patterns may be mapped. The authors fundamentally challenge the existing approach by entering the debate with an in-depth account of the neglected specificational and presentational there-clefts, offering the first systematic data-based study of their grammatical and prosodic features. While the study is restricted to English, its findings have significant cross-linguistic relevance. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Functional, Cognitive and Formal Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics, and usage-based study of grammar and prosody.

Eismont, Polina / Khokhlova, Maria et al. (eds.), Literature, Language and Computing: Russian Contribution. 251 pp. 2023:7 (Springer, GW) <706-1599>
ISBN 978-981-9936-03-8 hard ¥36,461.- (税込) EUR 149.99

This book brings together selected revised papers representing a multidisciplinary approach to language and literature. The collection presents studies performed using the methods of computational linguistics in accordance with the traditions of Russian linguistic and literary studies, primarily in line with the Leningrad (Petersburg) philological school. The book comprises the papers allocated into 2 sections discussing the study of corpora in language, translation, and literary studies and the use of computing in language teaching and translation and in emotional text processing. A unique feature of the presented collection is that the papers, compiled in one volume, allow readers to get an understanding of a wide range of research conducted in Saint Petersburg State University and other Russian leading scientific institutions. Both the classical tradition of Saint Petersburg philology and the results obtained with the help of new computer technologies as a sample of the symbiosis of technologies and traditions, which bring research to a qualitatively new level, arouse interest.

Hu, Jian, A Constructional Approach to Interpersonal Metaphor of Modality. (Peking University Linguistics Research 7) 169 pp. 2023:9 (Springer, GW) <706-1600>
ISBN 978-981-9927-63-0 hard ¥26,737.- (税込) EUR 109.99

This book is a current and comprehensive study that incorporates constructional frameworks to inquire grammatical metaphor of modality (MM) for more adequate description and explanation of grammatical metaphor. It conducts semantic analysis of MM via a refined cognitive model and investigation of its lexicogrammatical forms from corpus-based constructional approach. The result is a reliable and systemic record of MM in real use, coupled with theoretical refinement from a cognitive perspective to illuminate its 'metaphoricity' motivation. The constructional approach and methodology exemplified in this book provide fresh insights, rich data, and a feasible solution for the adequate description and explanation of grammatical metaphor phenomena and the form-meaning interactive complexity in modality.

Lai, Miranda / Eser, Oktay / Crezee, Ineke (eds.), Educating Community Interpreters and Translators in Unprecedented Times. (Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting) 271 pp. 2023:9 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <706-1601>
ISBN 978-3-031-32676-9 hard ¥34,030.- (税込) EUR 139.99 *

This edited book features contributions from interpreter and translator educators globally, in which they discuss changes to teaching, assessment and practice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapters provide a comprehensive picture of educators' responses to challenges and opportunities. The book will be of interest to students, researchers and educators, as well as government language policymakers and stakeholders of translation and interpreting agencies.

Lazaro Gutierrez, Raquel / Alvaro Aranda, Cristina (eds.), New Trends in Healthcare Interpreting Studies: An Updated Review of Research in the Field. (New Frontiers in Translation Studies) 187 pp. 2023:7 (Springer, GW) <706-1602>
ISBN 978-981-9929-60-3 hard ¥34,030.- (税込) EUR 139.99 *

Interpreting studies have exponentially grown over the years propelled by the realities of multicultural societies which, among other factors, include constant waves of immigration and the subsequent allocation of newly arrived citizens in their host countries-a process entailing public service access and provision. Communicative interactions between users who do not speak the same language as public service providers have been largely studied in different settings belonging to the field Public Service Translation and Interpreting (PSIT), ranging from police, asylum, legal, educational or, focus of this book, healthcare contexts. This edited book offers a unique and updated insight into the research advances and the state of the art in healthcare interpreting. Contributions cover methodological innovations, together with hot topics, such as changing roles, gender, specialized contexts, training programs, and ethical codes, to name but a few.

Seargeant, Philip, The Future of Language: How Technology, Politics and Utopianism are Transforming the Way we Communicate. 256 pp. 2023:11 (Bloomsbury Academic, UK) <706-1605>
ISBN 978-1-350-27885-1 hard ¥5,764.- (税込) GB￡ 20.00 *

Will language as we know it cease to exist? What could this mean for the way we live our lives? Shining a light on the technology currently being developed to revolutionise communication, The Future of Language distinguishes myth from reality and superstition from scientifically-based prediction as it plots out the importance of language and raises questions about its future. From the rise of artificial intelligence and speaking robots, to brain implants and computer-facilitated telepathy, language and communications expert Philip Seargeant surveys the development of new digital 'languages', such as emojis, animated gifs and memes, and investigates how conventions of spoken and written language are being modified by new trends in communication. From George Orwell's fictional predictions in Nineteen Eighty-Four to the very real warnings of climate activist Greta Thunberg, Seargeant explores language through time, traversing politics, religion, philosophy, literature, and of course technology, in the process. Tracing how previous eras have imagined the future of language, from the Bible to the works H. G. Wells, and from Star Wars to Star Trek, the book reveals how perfecting language and communication has always been a vital component of utopian dreams of the future. Questioning the potential ramifications of recent and future developments in communication on society and its ideals, The Future of Language is a no holds barred investigation into the state of civilisation and the impact that changes in language could have on our lives.

Porter, Stanley E., Hermeneutics, Linguistics, and the Bible: The Importance of Context. (T&T Clark Library of New Testament Greek) 224 pp. 2024:2 (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, UK) <706-185>
ISBN 978-0-567-70990-5 hard ¥24,497.- (税込) GB￡ 85.00 *

The volume presents Stanley E. Porter's considered thoughts and reflections on key questions of meaning and context, addressing the problems of biblical interpretation and how a close collaboration between hermeneutics and linguistics can help to solve them. The chapters display Porter's work in both fields, examining how hermeneutics functions as a field in modern biblical studies, and how the quest for meaning in biblical texts is underpinned by the study of linguistics. The volume focuses on context for understanding the meanings of biblical texts. Porter suggests that linguists can learn more from the philosophical questions around meaning that hermeneutics apply in their study of biblical texts, and that there is more fruitful work to be done in the field of hermeneutics using insights from linguistics.

Baron, Naomi S., Who Wrote This?: How AI and the Lure of Efficiency Threaten Human Writing. 344 pp. 2023:9 (Stanford U. Pr., US) <706-1129>
ISBN 978-1-5036-3322-3 hard ¥6,732.- (税込) US$ 30.00 *

Would you read this book if a computer wrote it? Would you even know? And why would it matter? Today's eerily impressive artificial intelligence writing tools present us with a crucial challenge: As writers, do we unthinkingly adopt AI's time-saving advantages or do we stop to weigh what we gain and lose when heeding its siren call? To understand how AI is redefining what it means to write and think, linguist and educator Naomi S. Baron leads us on a journey connecting the dots between human literacy and today's technology. From nineteenth-century lessons in composition, to mathematician Alan Turing's work creating a machine for deciphering war-time messages, to contemporary engines like ChatGPT, Baron gives readers a spirited overview of the emergence of both literacy and AI, and a glimpse of their possible future. As the technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and fluent, it's tempting to take the easy way out and let AI do the work for us. Baron cautions that such efficiency isn't always in our interest. As AI plies us with suggestions or full-blown text, we risk losing not just our technical skills but the power of writing as a springboard for personal reflection and unique expression. Funny, informed, and conversational, Who Wrote This? urges us as individuals and as communities to make conscious choices about the extent to which we collaborate with AI. The technology is here to stay. Baron shows us how to work with AI and how to spot where it risks diminishing the valuable cognitive and social benefits of being literate.

Minors, Helen Julia (ed.), Music, Dance and Translation. 216 pp. 2023:11 (Bloomsbury Academic, UK) <706-1167>
ISBN 978-1-350-17573-0 hard ¥27,379.- (税込) GB￡ 95.00 *

How is music affected by its translation, interpretation and adaptation with, through, and by dance? How might notation of dance and music act as a form of translation? How does music influence the creation of dance? How might dance and music be understood to exchange and transfer their content, sense and process during both the creative process and the interpretative process? Bringing together chapters that explore theory and practice, this book questions the process and role translation has to play in the context of music and dance. It provides a range of case studies across this interdisciplinary field, and is not restricted by genre, style or cultural location. As one of very few volumes to explore translation in relation to music and to overtly tackle this topic in terms of dance, it moves the argument from a broad notion of text and translation, to think critically about the sound and movement arts of music and dance, using translation as a model to better understand the collaboration of these art forms.