DOUGLAS BIBER

This book describes the most important kinds of texts in English and introduces the methodological techniques used to analyse them. Three analytical approaches are introduced and compared, describing a wide range of texts from the perspectives of register, genre and style. The primary focus of the book is on the analysis of registers. Part 1 introduces an analytical framework for studying registers, genre conventions, and styles. Part 2 provides detailed descriptions of particular text varieties in English, including spoken interpersonal varieties (conversation, university office hours, service encounters), written varieties (newspapers, academic prose, fiction), and emerging electronic varieties (e-mail, internet forums, text messages). Finally, Part 3 introduces advanced analytical approaches using corpora, and discusses theoretical concerns, such as the place of register studies in linguistics, and practical applications of register analysis. Each chapter ends with three types of activities: reflection and review activities, analysis activities, and larger project ideas.

Similarities and differences between speech and writing have been the subject of innumerable studies, but until now there has been no attempt to provide a unified linguistic analysis of the whole range of spoken and written registers in English. In this widely acclaimed empirical study, Douglas Biber uses computational techniques to analyse the linguistic characteristics of twenty three spoken and written genres, enabling identification of the basic, underlying dimensions of variation in English. In Variation Across Speech and Writing, six dimensions of variation are identified through a factor analysis, on the basis of linguistic co-occurence patterns. The resulting model of variation provides for the description of the distinctive linguistic characteristics of any spoken or written text andd emonstrates the ways in which the polarization of speech and writing has been misleading, and thus enables reconciliation of the contradictory conclusions reached in previous research.

Over 350 tables and graphs show the frequency of constructions in different contexts, from conversation to fiction to academic prose *Entirely corpus-based with 6000 authentic examples from the 40 million-word Longman Spoken and Written English Corpus *Suggests the reasons why we choose a particular structure in a particular context *Compares British and American spoken and written English Areas covered include basic grammar: description and distribution, key word classes and their phrases and complex structures. Each area is subdivided into more detailed content.

Douglas Biber / Susan Conrad / Geoffrey LeechBased on the insights and discoveries of the ground-breaking Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English, this new book brings fresh perspectives to the study of English grammar. The Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English is a pedagogical course book for advanced students at university or on teacher-training courses, and an invaluable reference grammar. It combines a comprehensive examination of grammatical structure with information about the how, when and why of English as it is really used. The workbook, available separately, can be used in class and individual study.

Douglas Biber / Geoffrey Leech / Susan ConradA comprehensive, corpus-based grammar reference specially written for the advanced student. The Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English provides a thorough examination of the structures of English as it is used today. It shows not only which structures are used but how the choices differ in speech and in different genres of written English. Combines explanations of English grammar with information on how, when and why we use different structures Shows the differences between spoken and written grammar Includes frequency information on the most common forms Can be used with the accompanying workbook as a classroom text, or on its own as a reference grammar