Introducing English LinguisticsAre 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, 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 see how the smaller pieces of language are a consequence of the larger goals of linguistic communication. Second, the book does not contain invented examples, as is the case with most comparable texts, but instead takes its sample materials from the major computerised databases of spoken and written English, giving students a more realistic view of language. |
Contents
Selfstudy activities Further reading 2 The development of English | |
Further reading 4 The structureof English texts | |
Selfstudyactivities Further reading 5 English syntax Introduction Formal vs notional definitions | |
Linguisticcorpora consulted | |
Answers to selfstudy activities | |
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Common terms and phrases
addition adjectives adverb affixes andthe asthe auxiliary Cambridge canbe chapter classified cleft sentence cohesion communication consonants contains context conversation deixis describe dictionaries discussion English language example expression Forinstance free morpheme function fusional language gender Germanic grammar Halliday hyponym ICEGB individual IndoEuropean languages inEnglish inflections instance inthe inthis itis language change language death language family Latin lexical semantics lexical verb manner of articulation marked marker maxim meaning MICASE Modern English morphemes notion noun phrase object occur ofthe Old English passive person phonemes place of articulation plural politeness pragmatic predicator preposition primary stress pronoun pronunciation referred relationship SBCSAE semantics singular social sound speak speakers specific speech act spoken spontaneous dialogue structure subject complement subregisters suchas suffixes syllable syntax tense tone unit tothe types usage utterance verb phrase vocabulary vowels withthe writing written registers Yeah