The utility of meaning : what words mean and why /

This book argues that the complex, anthropocentric and often culture-specific meanings of words have been shaped directly by their history of 'utility' for communication in social life. N. J. Enfield draws on semantic and pragmatic case studies from his extensive fieldwork in Laos to inves...

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Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Enfield, N. J., 1966- (Author)
Format:	Book
Language:	English
Published:	Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2015.
Edition:	First edition.
Series:	Oxford linguistics.
Subjects:	Lao language > Semantics. Meaning (Psychology)