Language and creativity2004

Do we just use language? Or do we create it? Who says only a genius can be creative? What do our everyday conversations tell us about ourselves?Creativity in language has conventionally been regarded as the preserve of institutionalized discourses such as literature and advertising, and individual gifted minds. Language and Creativity explores the idea that creativity, far from being simply a property of exceptional people, is an exceptional property of all people.Drawing on a range of real examples of everyday conversations and speech, from flatmates in a student house and families on holiday to psychotherapy sessions and chat-lines, the book argues that creativity is an all-pervasive feature of everyday language. Using close analysis of naturally occurring language, taken from the...