More than anything else, language is what makes us human. Linguistics, the discipline which studies the structure, function and phenomena of language, has uncovered many surprising and fascinating things about the nature of our human language faculty. But these findings are often presented in opaque technical terminology which hides their simplicity and beauty. "Intoducing Linguistics" demystifies the subject, presenting a clear account of what linguists do, how they go about it, and what they have achieved so far. A summary of the history of linguistics, from Aristotle to Chomsky, includes the chief contributions of its leading figures - Saussure, the Prague Circle, the American structuralists, Sapir, Bloomfield and others. Illustrated by Bill Mayblin, this book provides a review of the most recent and dramatic advances in the field, such as first-language acquisition by children, language in the brain, sign languages, language change and linguistic prehistory, men's and women's language, language engineering and the universal properties of languages. Here is the ideal companion to related titles in this series on Chomsky, semiotics, mind and brain and consciousness.
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Certificate, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more. |
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Human beings have probably been speaking for as long as we have existed, but it was only around 3,000 years ago that anybody began to be curious about language and to start examining it. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Human beings have probably been speaking for as long as we have existed, but it was only around 3,000 years ago that anybody began to be curious about language and to start examining it. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Like the rest of this series (and in fact a whole sub-genre of books), what first impacts about this book is the use of pictures. And fine pictures they are, aiming more for a photographic than a cartoony effect and all the better for it. Generally, though, they more break up and enliven than illustrate the text, with the 'faces of linguistics' with speech bubbles being used more than graphs/ charts/ maps etc. It is in fact the text that sets this book apart. It freely wheels through the history of linguistics before splitting off into the definition and origins of language, variation and sociolinguistics, semantics and pragmatics, language planning, speech disorders and neurolinguistics, and the purposes of language. When I say it wheels freely, I mean somehow it manages to fuse these into a single narrative that it is quite possible (and maybe preferable) to read through in one or two sittings. The amount of text and the simple style certainly make this possible.
Obviously in such a short book they can't cover everything equally, and if you are familiar with the 'Introducing......' range of books you will be unsurprised that they give the most coverage to the people and ideas that have the most relevance to philosophy. In fact the two figures who are given most prominence, Saussure and Chomsky, have books in the series dedicated to them. Generally, though, they deal with every figure/ school of thought in a balanced way.
The book doesn't contain a contents page or glossary, but it doesn't really need these due to the way it's written. What it does have is a very useful 'suggested reading' list, which actually tells you something about the books rather than just listing them.
I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in this subject.
... Read more ›
By Sal
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Larry Trask, who sadly died a few years ago, was on the faculty of Sussex University and taught Grammar when I studied Applied Language at Brighton University in the mid-1990s. He was an inspiring teacher. As my course studied all aspects of linguistics, with Brighton's particular interest in automatically generated and translated language, it was essential to have a sound grasp of its underlying structure. I was lucky enough, as a mature student, to have been educated in an age where we were taught grammar, although at a far more basic level than subsequently at Uni, whereas the 'traditionally-aged' students were at an almost complete loss. Larry dealt with us all, whatever our levels.
So I bought Larry's book in his memory. It is sound and detailed, although not as inspiring as the man himself, and covers much more than just grammatical structures, dealing also with sociolinguistic topics. Excellent glossary.
So I bought Larry's book in his memory. It is sound and detailed, although not as inspiring as the man himself, and covers much more than just grammatical structures, dealing also with sociolinguistic topics. Excellent glossary.
By H. Coverley
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Brilliant cover of most of the issues in modern linguistics; highly recommended to those taking college level (for Americans read high school) English.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
