The Acrapulator's Guide is a zany exploration into the world of collectors and what the author refers to as "serial acquisitionists." Starting with the base word of "acrapulate," the author builds a hilarious vocabulary of terms and definitions along with an array of funny anecdotes and personal experiences. His unconventional "conversational" style makes the reader feel like a participant in a discussion. Illustrated with more than 35 original cartoons by Joe McGuire, this book will put a smile on the face of any reader. For more about acrapulating, visit the author's website at www.acrapulate.com.

“Uttering lines that send liberals into paroxysms of rage, otherwise known as ‘citing facts,’ is the spice of life. When I see the hot spittle flying from their mouths and the veins bulging and pulsing above their eyes, well, that’s when I feel truly alive.” So begins If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans, Ann Coulter’s funniest, most devastating, and, yes, most outrageous book to date. Coulter has become the brightest star in the conservative firmament thanks to her razor-sharp reasoning and biting wit. Of course, practically any time she opens her mouth, liberal elites denounce Ann, insisting that “She’s gone too far!” and hopefully predicting that this time it will bring a crashing end to her career. Now you can read all the quotes that have so outraged her enemies and so delighted her legions of fans. More than just the definitive collection of Coulterisms, If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans includes dozens of brand-new commentaries written by Coulter and hundreds of never-before-published quotations. This is Ann at her best, covering every topic from A to Z. Here you’ll read Coulter’s take on: • Her politics: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m a middle-of-the-road moderate and the rest of you are crazy.” • Hillary Clinton: “Hillary wants to be the first woman president, which would also make her the first woman in a Clinton administration to sit behind the desk in the Oval Office instead of under it.” • The environment: “God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, ‘Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It’s yours.’” • Religion: “It’s become increasingly difficult to distinguish the pronouncements of the Episcopal Church from the latest Madonna video.” • Global warming: “The temperature of the planet has increased about one degree Fahrenheit in the last century. So imagine a summer afternoon when it’s 63 degrees and the next thing you know it’s . . . 64 degrees. Ahhhh!!!! Run for your lives, everybody! Women and children first!” • Gun control: “Mass murderers apparently can’t read, since they are constantly shooting up ‘gun-free zones.’” • Bill Clinton: “Bill Clinton’s library is the first one to ever feature an Adults Only section.” • Illegal aliens: “I am the illegal alien of commentary. I will do the jokes that no one else will do.” If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans is a must-have for anyone who loves (or loves to hate) Ann Coulter.

Yankee Talk provides in-depth coverage of the different New England dialects and definitions of the popular phrases used.

The Acrapulator's Guide is a zany exploration into the world of collectors and what the author refers to as "serial acquisitionists." Starting with the base word of "acrapulate, " the author builds a hilarious vocabulary of terms and definitions along with an array of funny anecdotes and personal experiences. His unconventional "conversational" style makes the reader feel like a participant in a discussion. Illustrated with more than 35 original cartoons by Joe McGuire, this book will put a smile on the face of any reader. For more about acrapulating, visit the author's website at www.acrapulate.com.

The Slangman Guide to STREET SPEAK 1 takes you through the colorful and popular world of everyday American slang and idioms used by all native speakers of English in the US. It has been featured on CNN, BBC, Voice of America, and several other international TV broadcasts.For ESL (English as a Second Language) students, this book equals years of living in the USA and will help you to quickly integrate into the American culture by learning not only the slang and idioms, but we'll also take you through the contractions and reductions used by everyone such as I dunno ("I do not know") and D'jeet jet? ("Did you eat yet?") and so many others.Entertaining dialogues, activities and games will make sure you have a blast ("have fun") and don't sweat it ("get tense") as you get up to speed ("become current") on all the typical slang and idioms used by virtually every native speaker! So chill out ("relax"), kick back ("get comfortable") as you learn the real language spoken by virtually all of us in the USA!NOTE: Audio CDs sold separately.The Slangman Guide to STREET SPEAK 1 contains popular chapters on slang and idioms associated with:PartiesShoppingMoviesAirportsRestaurantsHealthMarketsAt SchoolDating

This volume presents fifteen original research papers by renowned specialists in their respective fields. A variety of research traditions are included, such as dialect geography and sociolinguistics, but also smaller sub-fields such as the study of slang and perceptual dialectology. Varieties studied include the South, the Eastern Seaboard, the Middle West, African American English, Cuban English, and others. A growing sense of unity in the discipline is reflected by recurring topics and methods across earlier boundaries between sub-disciplines. For instance, computerized data and statistical analyses are standard tools nowadays, and a few papers explicitly address the possibilities and limitations of these methods. The study of variation and change of linguistic varieties has largely replaced earlier, monolithic notions of dialect, and the question of change in dialects, the erosion of traditional speech forms under the impact of modern communication patterns and socio-economic developments, is investigated in several contributions. In general, a recent orientation towards the history and development of nonstandard varieties is reflected in the book — several papers study diffusion patterns of linguistic forms, or discuss the emergence of individual dialects or dialectal forms in a language contact framework. Altogether, the papers provide a lively illustration of and a fairly representative selection from ongoing high-quality linguistic research into American English.

This volume explores the linguistic complexities and critical issues of the Midland dialect area of the USA, and contains a unique data-based set of investigations of the Midlands dialect. The authors demonstrate that the large central part of the United States known colloquially as the Heartland, geo-culturally as the Midwest, and linguistically as the Midland is a very real dialect area, one with regional cohesiveness, social complexity, and psycho-emotional impact. The individual essays problematize historical origins, track linguistic markers of social identity over time and across social spaces, frame dialect issues within the linguistic marketplace, account for extra-linguistic influences on changing patterns of linguistic behaviors, and describe maintenance strategies of non-English languages. This book is an important move forward in the understanding of American English. Sociolinguists, dialectologists, applied linguists, and all those involved in the statistical and qualitative study of language variation will find this volume relevant, timely, and insightful.

In the fourth volume of her pioneering history, Julie Coleman considers the trends of lexicographers in a period dominated by the Second World War, the Cold War, civil rights movements, and varying youth trends. It will fascinate all those interested in slang and its relationship with social and cultural change.

It may be starred, beeped, and censored -- yet profanity is so appealing that we can't stop using it. In the funniest, clearest study to date, Benjamin Bergen explains why, and what that tells us about our language and brains. Nearly everyone swears-whether it's over a few too many drinks, in reaction to a stubbed toe, or in flagrante delicto. And yet, we sit idly by as words are banned from television and censored in books. We insist that people excise profanity from their vocabularies and we punish children for yelling the very same dirty words that we'll mutter in relief seconds after they fall asleep. Swearing, it seems, is an intimate part of us that we have decided to selectively deny. That's a damn shame. Swearing is useful. It can be funny, cathartic, or emotionally arousing. As linguist and cognitive scientist Benjamin K. Bergen shows us, it also opens a new window onto how our brains process language and why languages vary around the world and over time. In this groundbreaking yet ebullient romp through the linguistic muck, Bergen answers intriguing questions: How can patients left otherwise speechless after a stroke still shout Goddamn! when they get upset? When did a cock grow to be more than merely a rooster? Why is crap vulgar when poo is just childish? Do slurs make you treat people differently? Why is the first word that Samoan children say not mommy but eat shit? And why do we extend a middle finger to flip someone the bird? Smart as hell and funny as fuck, What the F is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to know how and why we swear.

A lively and accessible introduction to world Englishes, setting a range of global varieties in their historical and social contexts.