Introducing English Linguistics

Are you looking for a genuine introduction to the linguistics of English that provides a broad overview of the subject, that sustains students’ interest and avoids excessive detail? Introducing English Linguistics accomplishes this goal in two ways. First, unlike traditional texts, it takes a top-down approach to language, beginning with the largest unit of linguistic structure, the text, and working its way down through successively smaller structures (sentences, words, and finally speech sounds). The advantage of presenting language this way is that students are first given the larger picture – they study language in context – and then as the class progresses, they see how the smaller pieces of language are really a consequence of the larger goals of linguistic communication. Second, Introducing English Linguistics does not contain invented examples, as is the case with most comparable texts, but instead takes its sample materials from the major computerized databases of spoken and written English, giving students a more realistic view of language.