Trask's Historical Linguistics, Third Edition, is an accessible introduction to historical linguistics - the study of language change over time. This engaging book is illustrated with language examples from all six continents, and covers the fundamental concepts of language change, methods for historical linguistics, linguistic reconstruction, sociolinguistic aspects of language change, language contact, the birth and death of languages, language and prehistory and the issue of very remote re...

Intended for the absolute beginner, Introducing Phonetics and Phonology requires no previous background in linguistics, phonetics or phonology. Starting with a grounding in phonetics and phonological theory, the book provides a base from which more advanced treatments may be approached. It begins with an examination of the foundations of articulatory and acoustic phonetics, moves on to the basic principles of phonology and ends with an outline of some further issues within contemporary phonol...

Sociolinguistics is the study of the interaction between language and society. In this classic introductory work, Janet Holmes and Nick Wilson examine the role of language in a variety of social contexts, considering both how language works and how it can be used to signal and interpret various aspects of social identity. Divided into three parts, this book explains basic sociolinguistic concepts in the light of classic approaches, as well as introducing more recent research.

This sixth editi...

Understanding Phonology, 4th Edition provides a clear, accessible and broad introduction to Phonology. Introducing basic concepts, it illustrates key points from a wide variety of languages and provides a comprehensive account of phonological issues such as: segmental contrasts; syllables & moras; tone, quality, & intonation; feature geometry; word stress systems; and prosodic structure.

Language is one of our most precious and uniquely human capacities, so it is not surprising that research on its neural substrates has been advancing quite rapidly in recent years. Until now, however, there has not been a single introductory textbook that focuses specifically on this topic. Cognitive Neuroscience of Language fills that gap by providing an up-to-date, wide-ranging, and pedagogically practical survey of the most important developments in the field.

It guides students through al...

Whether we grow up with one, two, or several languages during our early years of life, many of us will learn a second, foreign, or heritage language in later years. The field of Second language acquisition (SLA, for short) investigates the human capacity to learn additional languages in late childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, after the first language --in the case of monolinguals-- or languages --in the case of bilinguals-- have already been acquired. Understanding Second Language Acquisit...

In Other Words has been the definitive coursebook for students studying translation for nearly three decades. Assuming no knowledge of foreign languages, it offers a practical guide based on extensive research in areas as varied as lexis, grammar, pragmatics, semiotics and ethics. It thus provides a solid basis for training a new generation of well-informed, critical students of translation.

Drawing on linguistic theory and social semiotics, the third edition of this best-selling text guides ...

Now in its second edition, Introduction to Instructed Second Language Acquisition continues to present a cohesive view of the different theoretical and pedagogical perspectives that comprise instructed second language acquisition (ISLA). Loewen provides comprehensive discussions of the theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical aspects of a range of key issues in ISLA, and has added to this edition a comprehensive exploration of the relationship between ISLA research and second language pedagogy...