Language and Culture (Oxford Introductions to Language Study)

Rating:
Summary: a dense but well written introduction to the subject.
Review: I have been reading three books in the "Oxford Introduction to Language Study" series and to be honest I found Kramsch' book a bit less accessible than Spolsky's "Sociolinguistics" whose style was somewhat more fluent. This said, the book is still an excellent introduction to the subject. Readers should be aware that it is in the nature of an 80 page survey to condense matters (just imagine the huge amount of literature that has been written on the subject). However, students should also be aware that the terminology introduced is necessary for the study of the subject. Rather than reading 300 pages, I am more than pleased the Kramsch has succeeded in providing a clear outline in 80.

Rating:
Summary: From frustrated International Teaching Assistant
Review: I really do not understand the purpose of the book "Language and Culture" by Claire Kramsch. The author takes some rather basic ideas and obscures them with complicated terms that no one in the world except for some (to general public unknown) anthropologists care about. I understand these ideas - most of them are simple e.g., that a foreign student with a good comprehension of English can still misunderstand a text because of an unfamiliarity with the culture. But why should I as an engineering student, or any other student for that matter need to waste their "precious time" (as Americans say) learning little known or cared for terms with petty terminology. I could go on with other nonsenses that appear in the book, but I do not think that it is worth.

Rating:
Summary: Read her previous one first
Review: This intro. to culture is an excellent distillation of language and culture, suited especially for anyone who has read her previous book published by Oxford Univ. Press CONTEXT AND CULTURE. Context and Culture (C&C)has many illuminating examples from literature, speech and and media. Kramsch writes densely--every word counts--and readers will find that there is always something new to learn on every reading. It's no surprise that Widdowson, remarkable for his incredibly tight prose, was her editor. Kramsch is a razor-sharp thinker and an accomplished writer. An intellectual of the best sort.

So, to best appreciate this short intro. to culture, read C&C first.