Using Spanish: A Guide to Contemporary Usage / Edition 2

by R. E. Batchelor, C. J. Pountain

Overview

Unlike conventional grammars, this guide to Spanish usage, for students with basic knowledge, focuses on areas of vocabulary and grammar causing the most difficulty to English speakers. The new edition has been extensively revised and updated to emphasize Latin-American (particularly Mexican) usage. Significantly expanded vocabulary sections now include examples which contextualize each word or expression. Finally, some completely new material has been added on semi-technical vocabulary and Anglicisms. First Edition Hb (1992) 0-521-42123-3 First Edition Pb (1992) 0-521-26987-3

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521004817
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/29/2005
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	502
Product dimensions:	6.73(w) x 9.45(h) x 1.18(d)

About the Author

Christopher J. Pountain is Professor of Spanish Linguistics at Queen Mary, University of London.

Ronald E. Batchelor has now retired from the University of Nottingham, where he taught French and Spanish for 40 years.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Passages illustrating register and local variety; 3. Misleading similarities between Spanish and English; 4. Similarities between Spanish words; 5. Fields of meaning - vocabulary expansion; 6. Complex verb expressions; 7. Affective suffixes; 8. Idioms, similes and proverbs; 9. Proper names; 10. Adjectives pertaining to countries and towns; 11. Abbreviations; 12. Latin expressions; 13. Anglicisms; 14. Grammatical terms; 15. Interjections; 16. Fillers; 17. Transition words; 18. Numerals; 19. Measurements; 20. Semi-technical vocabulary; 21. Gender; 22. Number; 23. Word order; 24. Prepositions; 25. Prepositional constructions with verbs, nouns and adjectives; 26. Constructions with verbs of movement; 27. Negation; 28. Use of tenses; 29. Periphrastic verb-forms; 30. Modal auxiliaries; 31. The subjunctive; 32. 'ser' and 'estar'; 33. Pronouns; 34. The reflexive; 35. Comparison; 36. Usage with names of countries.

Editorial Reviews

"Using Spanish is an excellent resource for both students and teachers of Spanish as a foreign language." The Georgetown Journal of Languages and Linguistics

"In short, Batchelor and Pountain are to be commended for having provided a reference tool which is particularly useful, given its contemporaneity, clarity and attention to sociolinguistic phenomena." Charles Maurice Cherry, Canadian Modern Language Review

From the Publisher