Description
Book SynopsisEverything we do involves language. Assuming no prior knowledge, this book offers students a contemporary introduction to the study of language. Each thought-provoking chapter is accessible to readers from a variety of fields, and is helpfully organized across six parts: sound; structure and meaning; language typologies and change; language and social aspects; language acquisition; and language, cognition, and the brain. The book''s companion website also offers three brief chapters on language and computers; animal communication; and dialectal varieties of English. The chapters feature illustrative tables, figures and maps, along with three types of pedagogical boxes (Linguistic Tidbits; Pause and Reflect; and Eyes on World Languages) that break up text, contextualize information, and provide colourful accents that give real data from languages across the globe. Key words are bolded and defined in a glossary at the end of the book, while end-of-chapter summaries and practice exercises
Trade Review'Everyone is interested in language, and for those lucky students who get to study linguistics in college, this is a superb introduction to how we express ourselves and understand each other.' Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, USA
'This textbook provides an excellent overview of language, language use, and the analytical toolkit of theoretical linguistics. The well-chosen examples and the many thought-provoking exercises provide the reader with a wonderful overview not only of the kind of phenomena observed in languages across the world, but also of how languages are used, of how they change over time, and of how they are acquired.' Harald Baayen, Professor of Quantitative Linguistics, University of Tübingen, Germany
'A comprehensive and comprehensible introduction to linguistics and related fields. The text is interspersed with thought-provoking and intriguing boxes of information, which help to make the chapters interesting and accessible. Highly recommended as an introductory textbook for people with no background in the field.' Lydia White, James McGill Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, McGill University, Canada
'This is an excellent textbook to introduce readers to linguistics. It is very engaging and fun to read, and its up-to-date coverage of the field is outstanding. I highly recommend it for students taking linguistics as an elective or part of their program.' Aline Ferreira, University of California, Santa Barbara
'In teaching both social theory and ethnographic methods courses, I have long sought a volume that gives a broad overview of linguistic knowledge while illustrating the profoundly social nature of all language. With this book, students in these foundational courses can clearly perceive, and then put into practice, linguistic knowledge that will enhance all aspects of their work.' Robert LaFleur, Beloit College
'Introducing Linguistics, by De Garavito and Schwieter, offers a fresh yet comprehensive look at the study of linguistics. Often viewed as a difficult area, the authors' approach is organized and addresses the major topics of language acquisition from both an academic and a social perspective. This structure is well developed and allows the reader to focus on specific topics under the major headings. The book promises to be a useful tool for the student who is not familiar with, as well as those who are well-versed in, linguistics.' Valerie C. Rutledge, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
'... Introducing Linguistics. Theoretical and Applied Approaches' will constitute a good companion for those who are taking their first steps in the study of language and, hopefully, will encourage students to reach for more.' David M. Karaj, Linguist
Table of ContentsContents; Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. Introducing linguistics Joyce Bruhn de Garavito and John W. Schwieter; Part II. Sound: 2. Phonetics: sound articulation and acoustics Christine Shea and Sarah Olivia O'Neill; 3. Phonology: sound patterns and contrasts Joyce Bruhn de Garavito; Part III. Structure And Meaning: 4. Morphology: word structure Joyce Bruhn de Garavito; 5. Syntax: phrase and sentence structure Joyce Bruhn de Garavito; 6. Semantics: language and meaning Roumyana Slabakova; Part IV. Language Typologies And Change: 7. The classification of languages Asya Pereltsvaig; 8. Historical linguistics Laura Grestenberger; Part V. Language And Social Aspects: 9. Sociolinguistics: language in society Terry Nadasdi; 10. Pragmatics and discourse analysis Maite Taboada; 11. Writing systems Peter T. Daniels and John W. Schwieter; Part VI. Language Acquisition: 12. First language acquisition John W. Schwieter; 13. Second language acquisition John W. Schwieter; Part VII. Language, Cognition, And The Brain: 14. Psycholinguistics: language processing John W. Schwieter; 15. Neurolinguistics: language and the brain John W. Schwieter; Part VIII. Brief Chapters On Companion Website and in eBook: 16. Animal communication and language Con Slobodchikoff; 17. Computational linguistics Robert E. Mercer; 18. English varieties outside of North America Daniel Schreier.
