Understand Linguistics: A Teach Yourself Guide (Teach Yourself: Reference)

This straightforward introduction to linguistics answers two fundamental questions: 'What is language?' and 'How does language work?'

Understand Linguistics outlines the scope of linguistics, explaining basic concepts and essential terminology with examples drawn mainly from English. Sound patterning, syntax and meaning--the inner core of linguistics--are discussed simply and clearly, as are the rapidly growing areas of pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and stylistics.