Table of Contents

Finding Your Way Around This Book.- Timeline of Some Key Events in the History of Linguistics.- 1. Introduction.- 2. The Nature of Language.- 3. The Emergence of Language.- 4. Language Diversity.- 5. Language Variation.- 6. The Structure of Language.- 7. The Construction of Meaning.- 8. The Linguistic Brain.- 9. Language Acquisition.- 10. The Continuing Story.- Phonetic Symbols.- Glossary.- Life Dates of Thinkers and Researchers.- References and Sources.- Journals and Societies.

Promotional Information

This book presents the key issues in linguistic thought in a series of engaging and very readable narratives. The range and historical scope of the book are impressive, but a useful 'cast of characters' at the start of each chapter helps the reader keep track of who said what about language, and when they said it'. - Professor Siobhan Chapman, University of Liverpool, UK 'This is a really exciting book that will inspire the next generation of linguists. It manages to introduce the great movers and shakers of the field, so that readers can use it as a starting-point for their future investigations of the field of linguistics. This is a book that is written out of sheer enthusiasm and it is infectious!' - Professor Lesley Jeffries, University of Huddersfield, UK 'This is a very clearly and interestingly written introduction to the subject. As well as being interesting in its own right, a historical perspective on how people have thought about language is a very accessible and useful way of looking at the whole topic - including all the important issues that still puzzle us today.' - Dr Doug Arnold, University of Essex, UK

About the Author

Kim Ballard is the former Head of English at Esher Sixth Form College as well as former Chief Examiner for Edexcel A Level English language. She is the author of The Frameworks of English (2001, 2007) for Palgrave and Interpreting Texts (2005) in the Routledge A Level English Guides series.

Reviews

'This book presents the key issues in linguistic thought in a series of engaging and very readable narratives. The range and historical scope of the book are impressive, but a useful 'cast of characters' at the start of each chapter helps the reader keep track of who said what about language, and when they said it'. - Professor Siobhan Chapman, University of Liverpool, UK 'This is a really exciting book that will inspire the next generation of linguists. It manages to introduce the great movers and shakers of the field, so that readers can use it as a starting-point for their future investigations of the field of linguistics. This is a book that is written out of sheer enthusiasm and it is infectious!' - Professor Lesley Jeffries, University of Huddersfield, UK 'This is a very clearly and interestingly written introduction to the subject. As well as being interesting in its own right, a historical perspective on how people have thought about language is a very accessible and useful way of looking at the whole topic - including all the important issues that still puzzle us today.' - Dr Doug Arnold, University of Essex, UK