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The Secret Life of Pronouns
What Our Words Say About Us
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The Secret Life of Pronouns
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book suits readers interested in psychology, linguistics, and social behaviour, including students and professionals keen to understand the subtle influences of language in personal and public communication.
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See moreA sleeper hit in hardcover -- now in paperback with new material. A surprising, and entertaining, explanation of how the words we use (even the ones we don't notice) reveal our personalities, emotions, and identities.
A sleeper hit in hardcover -- now in paperback with new material. A surprising, and entertaining, explanation of how the words we use (even the ones we don't notice) reveal our personalities, emotions, and identities.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
In The Secret Life of Pronouns, social psychologist and language expert James W. Pennebaker uses his groundbreaking research in computational linguistics—in essence, counting the frequency of words we use—to show that our language carries secrets about our feelings, our self-concept, and our social intelligence. Our most forgettable words, such as pronouns and prepositions, can be the most revealing: their patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints.
Using innovative analytic techniques, Pennebaker X-rays everything from John McCain's tweets to the Federalist Papers. Who would have predicted that the high school student who uses too many verbs in her college admissions essay is likely to make lower grades in college? Or that a world leader's use of pronouns could reliably presage whether he will lead his country into war?
You'll learn what Lady Gaga and William Butler Yeats have in common, and how Ebenezer Scrooge's syntax hints at his self-deception and repressed emotion in this sprightly, surprising tour of what our words are saying—whether we mean them to or not.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Praised as penetrating, lively, and accessible by the New York Times Book Review, this book guides readers to appreciate the social significance of function words. Reviews highlight its fascinating and fun nature (Austin American Statesman), describing it as ingenious (Slate) and provocative and eye-opening (Dallas Morning News). Pennebaker’s work encourages greater awareness of how language reveals the hidden workings of the mind.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781608194964
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 18 July 2013
Country: United States
Imprint: Bloomsbury Press
Illustration: B&W
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 210.0mm
Weight: 341g
Pages: 368
About the Author
James W. Pennebaker is the chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Writing to Heal and Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions, which has been translated into a dozen languages. You can analyze your own language at his website, www.secretlifeofpronouns.com.
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