Short description:

Introducing Linguistics brings together the work of scholars working at the cutting-edge of the field of Linguistics, creating an accessible and wide-ranging introductory level textbook for newcomers to Linguistics.

Long description:

Introducing Linguistics brings together the work of scholars working at the cutting-edge of the field of linguistics, creating an accessible and wide-ranging introductory level textbook for newcomers to this area of study. The textbook:

? Provides broad coverage of the field, comprising five key areas: language structures, mind and society, applications, methods, and issues;

? Presents the latest research in an accessible way;

? Incorporates examples from a wide variety of languages ? from isiZulu to Washo ? throughout;

? Treats sign language in numerous chapters as yet another language, rather than a ?special case? confined to its own chapter;

? Includes recommended readings and resource materials, and is supplemented by a companion website.

This textbook goes beyond description and theory, giving weight to application and methodology. It is authored by a team of leading scholars from the world-renowned Lancaster University department, who have drawn on both their research and extensive classroom experience. Aimed at undergraduate students of linguistics, Introducing Linguistics is the ideal textbook to introduce students to the field of linguistics.

'This textbook reflects well the diversity of experience of a first-year undergraduate in linguistics. Each chapter has a different author and reflects a different teaching style: some start with a definition, but one takes us through the illness of a hypothetical patient called 'Charlie', and two offer a Q&A conversation with a hypothetical eager student. The chapters cover all the standard topics likely to be on a first-year syllabus, including significant coverage of research methods and possible real-world applications. The subject matter is well rooted in relevant research, and a linked website is promised.'

Richard Hudson, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, UCL

'Introducing Linguistics is an impressively comprehensive guide to how language works. It uses exciting examples from across the full range of human languages around the world, spoken as well as signed, and combines these with crystal-clear, readable explanations. The volume is meticulous in covering state-of-the-art ideas from all domains of the field ? structure, cognition, social use, applications, methodology, and theoretical debates. This exceptionally wide coverage allows students to discover the full breadth and unique capacities of human language.'

Devyani Sharma, Professor of Sociolinguistics, Queen Mary University of London

Table of Contents:

Table of Contents

Preface by Jonathan Culpeper

Section one: Languages structures

Chapter 1 Phonetics

Sam Kirkham and Claire Nance

Chapter 2 Phonology

Claire Nance and Sam Kirkham

Chapter 3 Morphology

Daniel Van Olmen

Chapter 4 Syntax

Daniel Van Olmen

Chapter 5 Semantics

Christopher Hart and Vittorio Tantucci

Chapter 6 Pragmatics

Jonathan Culpeper and Claire Hardaker?

Section two: Mind and society

Chapter 7 Sociolinguistics

Beth Malory and Karin Tusting

Chapter 8 Historical linguistics

Beth Malory

Chapter 9 Language acquisition

Silke Brandt and Patrick Rebuschat

Chapter 10 Studying discourse

Beth Malory

Chapter 11 Bilingualism and multilingualism

Claire Nance and Aina Casaponsa

Chapter 12 Communication and culture

Dimitrinka Atanasova

Section three: Applications

Chapter 13 Forensic linguistics and forensic phonetics

Georgina Brown and Claire Hardaker

Chapter 14 Health communication

Elena Semino

Chapter 15 Language in the curriculum

Oksana Afitska and John Clegg

Chapter 16 Critical Discourse Analysis

Christopher Hart

Chapter 17 Language in the workplace

Veronika Koller

Chapter 18 Computational linguistics

Georgina Brown

Section four: Methods

Chapter 19 Research ethics in (applied) linguistics

Uta Papen, Emily Peach, Aina Casaponsa, and Dimitrinka Atanasova

Chapter 20 Experimental methods

Patrick Rebuschat and Aina Casaponsa

Chapter 21 Corpus methods

Tony McEnery and Andrew Hardie

Chapter 22 Field methods

Uta Papen and Claire Nance

Chapter 23 Surveys, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups

Karin Tusting

Chapter 24 Statistics and data visualisation

Vaclav Brezina and Aina Casaponsa

Section five: Issues

Chapter 25 Generative vs. usage-based approaches to language

Willem B. Hollmann

Chapter 26 Linguistic theories of grammar

Willem B. Hollmann and Vittorio Tantucci

Chapter 27 Linguistic relativity

Panos Athanasopoulos

Chapter 28 Linguistic diversity

Claire Nance

Chapter 29 Evolutionary linguistics

Christopher Hart

Chapter 30 Animal communication

Jennifer Hughes

Index