"This is by far the best introductory book and the one that I will use. It gives a real working knowledge of each area of linguistics and maintains a consistent level of intellectual challenge throughout. The exercises are excellent."
—Edwin Williams, Princeton University

"This excellent and detailed introduction to the field of linguistics draws on an impressive range of languages. Any student that wants to find out about the scientific study of human language will profit immensely from this book."
—Richard Kayne, New York University

"This textbook fills in all the gaps that are characteristic of other introductory texts in linguistics. Each section is written by a leading figure in a particular area of linguistic theory: morphology and syntax, semantics, and phonetics and phonology. It is impressive both in breadth and depth. Each section ends by considering how the particular principles that were described in that section emerge in the course of language development, thereby reinforcing the importance of linguistic theory for understanding young children's universal mastery of natural language."
—Stephen Crain, University of Maryland at College Park

"This is an outstanding new introduction to contemporary linguistics, written by a team of the foremost scholars in the field. The orientation throughout is towards real, usually current, research questions. A very nice feature is the inclusion of chapters on language acquisition in connection with each subdiscipline of linguistics. I am sure this book will be the standard introductory textbook for some time to come."
—Ian Roberts, Universitat Stuttgart

"This introductory textbook is unique in the extent and depth of the coverage it provides. Teachers and beginning students of linguistics and cognitive science should find it both helpful and inspiring."
—Maria Luisa Zubizarreta, University of Southern California