THE SEVEN AGES OF WOMAN

(Inspired by Jaques’ “Seven Ages of Man” soliloquy in As You Like It)

All the world’s a soap,
And all the girls and women TV actors;
They have their long-shots and their close-ups,
And one woman in her time learns many scripts,
The roles she plays being seven. At first the baby,
And “But we were so hoping for a boy this time”.
Then the little girl, pretty, pink and cute,
Kissing mummy goodbye and skipping merrily along
Towards the school gates. And then she’s thirteen,
And “Why have I got all these spots?” and “When are my tits
Going to grow?” Then she’s a woman,
Her body transformed, her future a well-lit road,
Young men desire her, their promises oh so sincere,
Till there’s one who makes her feel special,
And she knows he’s the one. Then she’s a wife,
And soon a mother, her days and nights
Filled with caring for others, no time for herself,
Till one day she looks in the mirror and asks:
“Where has my life gone?” The sixth age shifts
Into the weary and much put-upon nurse,
Checking his blood pressure, remembering which pills,
For the young man she loved is now old and frail,
Yet his voice is still strong enough to point out her faults,
Never a thankyou escapes his lips for the life she has spent,
For the life she has lost. Last scene of all,
That ends this sad, unfulfilled her-story,
Is second babyhood, and memories all erased,
No past, no present, a life swept away.

THE ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN SECOND LANGUAGE AQUISITION

This book presents a succinct summary of various theories of motivation and an overview of some sixty years of empirical research into the role of motivation in second language acquisition, from the social psychological approach of the pioneering work of the Canadian school (Robert Gardner, Richard Clément, Peter MacIntyre and others) to the more recent investigations conducted by such scholars as Zoltán Dörnyei, Kata Csizér and Ema Ushioda. The insights generated by such research are then applied to the author’s own investigation of the language learning motivation of undergraduates studying at the University of Cagliari on the Italian island of Sardinia. Steve Buckledee teaches English language and linguistics at the University of Cagliari, having previously worked in various state and private institutions in London, Canterbury, Oporto, Madrid, Milan and Rome. His main research interests are Second Language Acquisition and English as a Lingua Franca.

NECESSARY NOISES

An Introduction to English Phonology

How do we produce the sounds that make up the English language? What happens when we link those sounds together in connected speech? Why doesn’t English spelling reflect the way we say words? Why do some people make every sentence sound like a question? What is happening to the pronunciation of British English? Necessary Noises attempts to answer these and other questions in a style that aims to be at all times clear and accessible to the reader approaching the subject of phonology for the first time. No attempt is made to deny the existence of technical terminology (which would be a futile task), but the specialist vocabulary is explained in plain English which avoids any suggestion of mystification of the subject. The reader is not expected to have an entirely passive role in this exploration of the noises that are so necessary for communication between human beings. A series of tasks – some involving reflection, others requiring active participation – accompany the explanations in a text that can be used both in the classroom or for private study. Steve Buckledee has taught English language in various state and private institutions in London, Canterbury, Oporto, Madrid, Milan and Rome. At present he teaches English language and linguistics at the University of Cagliari in Sardinia.