How Languages Work
An Introduction to Language and Linguistics

A fully revised introduction to language in use, containing in-depth language profiles, case studies, and online multimedia resources.

Carol Genetti (Author)

9781108454513, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 November 2018

704 pages
24.5 x 19 x 3.3 cm, 1.52 kg

'… the book seems to cover its goals since each chapter of the first part explains explicitly the linguistic principles and structures and encourages students to apply methods in order to better perceive a linguistic phenomenon. Also, by reading the second part of the book, students will be able to observe different grammatical structures in different languages of the world and understand the linguistic diversity.' Georgios P. Georgiou, LINGUIST List

Language is a sophisticated tool which we use to communicate in a multitude of ways. Updated and expanded in its second edition, this book introduces language and linguistics - presenting language in all its amazing complexity while systematically guiding you through the basics. The reader will emerge with an appreciation of the diversity of the world's languages, as well as a deeper understanding of the structure of human language, the ways it is used, and its broader social and cultural context. Part I is devoted to the nuts and bolts of language study - speech sounds, sound patterns, sentence structure, and meaning - and includes chapters dedicated to the functional aspects of language: discourse, prosody, pragmatics, and language contact. The fourteen language profiles included in Part II reveal the world's linguistic variety while expanding on the similarities and differences between languages. Using knowledge gained from Part I, the reader can explore how language functions when speakers use it in daily interaction. With a step-by-step approach that is reinforced with well-chosen illustrations, case studies, and study questions, readers will gain understanding and analytical skills that will only enrich their ongoing study of language and linguistics.

List of figures
List of tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of glossing conventions
The book's approach
For students: how to use this book
Part I. Primary Chapters: 1. Introduction: language, languages, and linguistics Carol Genetti
2. Phonetics: physical dimensions of speech sounds Matthew Gordon
3. Phonology: organization of speech sounds Matthew Gordon
4. Morphology: what's in a word? Marianne Mithun
5. Word classes: evidence from grammatical behavior Carol Genetti
6. Syntax: words in combination Carol Genetti
7. Semantics: how language makes sense Michael Israel
8. Pragmatics: inference for language Mira Ariel
9. Discourse: language beyond the sentence Wallace Chafe
10. Prosody: the music of language Wallace Chafe
11. Language in the social world Mary Bucholtz and Lal Zimman
12. Language change: the dynamicity of linguistic systems Marianne Mithun
13. Language contact and areal linguistics Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
14. First language acquisition Patricia M. Clancy
15. Second language acquisition Dorothy Chun and Jan Frodesen
Part II. Language Profiles: 1. Kabardian Matthew Gordon and Ayla Applebaum
2. Goemai Birgit Hellwig
3. Manange Kristine Hildebrandt
4. Finnish Ritva Laury
5. Nuuchahnulth (Nootka) Toshihide Nakayama
6. South Conchucos Quechua Daniel J. Hintz
7. Tsez Bernard Comrie
8. Bardi Claire Bowern
9. Lowland Chontal Loretta O'Connor
10. Manambu Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald and Carol Genetti
11. African-American English Anne H. Charity Hudley and Christine Mallinson
12. Indonesian Robert Englebretson
13. Seneca Wallace Chafe
14. Akkadian Guy Deutscher
Glossary
References
Index
Appendix: IPA summary sheet.

Subject Areas: Linguistics [CF], Language: reference & general [CB], Language [C]