An Introduction to Linguistics and Language Studies (EQUINOX TEXTBOOKS & SURVEYS IN LINGUISTICS)

This introductory textbook provides readers with a foundation in methods for analysing and understanding language from various theoretical perspectives within linguistics and language studies. Its novel approach introduces systemic functional linguistics, text and discourse analysis, and formal approaches to linguistics. It demonstrates applications of these approaches to reveal how we use language in society, how our brains process language, and how we learn language. Topics include phonetics, phonology, conversation analysis, morphology, semantics, functional and formal syntax, text linguistics, genre analysis, evaluative lexis in text, multimodal representations of meaning, language change and variation, animals and language, the brain and language, and first and second language development/acquisition. The main language focused on is English, while other languages are also drawn on to illustrate the principles, models and theories. Learning outcomes, exercises (with answer key), ideas for project work, and questions for reflection are provided throughout. A final chapter gathers explanations of various fields of practice within linguistics, written by linguists from around the world, including David Crystal (Clinical Linguistics), Frances Christie (Educational Linguistics), and Malcolm Coulthard (Forensic Linguistics). An Introduction to Linguistics and Language Studies offers an array of analytical tools for undergraduate students of language, communication, and education, and provides an overview of the field for those interested in further study in linguistics and applied language studies. Readers will come away with a heightened sensitivity to and appreciation of their own and other's use of language for creating meaning and for interaction. Cover Contents Acknowledgments Chapter 1 1.1 Ferdinand de Saussure 1.2 Noam Chomsky 1.3 M. A. K. Halliday 1.4 Conclusion 1.5 References and further reading 1.6 Some answers to the exercises Chapter 2 2.1 Speech act theory: Doing things with words 2.2 Grice’s conversational maxims 2.3 Politeness 2.4 The lexicogrammar of casual speech 2.5 The analysis of talk in interaction (conversation analysis) 2.6 Speech sounds 2.7 Phonology: Meaningful sounds across languages 2.8 Further exercises 2.9 Chapter outcomes 2.10 References and further reading 2.11 Some answers to the exercises Chapter 3 3.1 Genre and text analysis 3.2 Systemic Functional Linguistics 3.3 Written and spoken language 3.4 Chapter outcomes 3.5 References and further reading 3.6 Some Answers to the Exercises Chapter 4 4.1 Morphology: the construction of words 4.2 Morphology and syntax 4.3 Formal syntax 4.4 Semantics 4.5 Chapter outcomes 4.6 References and further reading 4.7 Some answers to the exercises Chapter 5 5.1 Introduction 5.2 The ways in which languages change 5.3 Why languages change 5.4 Chapter outcomes 5.5 References and further reading 5.6 Some answers to the exercises Chapter 6 6.1 Synchronic variation, sociolinguistics, and speech communities 6.2 Dialect and vernacular 6.3 Diglossia 6.4 Pidgins and Creoles 6.5 Sociolect 6.6 Register 6.7 Speech accommodation 6.8 Lexical variation 6.9 Sound variation 6.10 Morphosyntactic variation 6.11 Chapter outcomes 6.12 References and further readings 6.13 Some answers to exercises Chapter 7 7.1 The brain and language 7.2 First language acquisition 7.3 Second language development 7.4 Animals and language 7.5 Chapter outcomes 7.6 References and further reading Chapter 8 8.1 Clinical Linguistics 8.2 Cognitive Linguistics 8.3 Computational Linguistics 8.4 Contrastive Linguistics 8.5 Corpus Linguistics 8.6 Critical Discourse Analysis 8.7 Educational Linguistics 8.8 Forensic Linguistics 8.9 Formal Linguistics 8.10 Functional linguistics 8.11 Historical Linguistics 8.12 Psycholinguistics 8.13 Sociolinguistics Glossary Index of Names Subject Index This introductory textbook provides readers with a foundation in methods for analyzing and understanding language from various theoretical perspectives within linguistics and language studies. Its novel approach introduces systemic functional linguistics, text and discourse analysis, and formal approaches to linguistics. It demonstrates applications of these approaches to reveal how we use language in society, how our brains process language, and how we learn language. Topics include phonetics, phonology, conversation analysis, morphology, syntax, semantics, language change and variation, animals and language, the brain and language, and first and second language acquisition. The main language focused on is English, although other languages are also used to illustrate the linguistic principles. Exercises and questions for reflection are provided throughout, and a final chapter is included which gathers explanations of various fields of practice within linguistics, written by linguists from around the world, including David Crystal (Clinical Linguistics), Frances Christie (Educational Linguistics), and Malcolm Coulthard (Forensic Linguistics). The book offers an array of analytical tools for undergraduate students of language, communication, and education, and provides an overview of the field for those interested in further study in linguistics and applied language studies.