Description
Entertaining usage of language is all around us and can explain more about how language works than we realise. This lively and engaging book explains key linguistic concepts, illustrated throughout with humorous and entertaining examples. Providing an accessible yet comprehensive survey of the field, it is especially helpful for students who might struggle with an overly technical text. Now in its second edition, it has been extensively updated and expanded to be more comprehensive and include culturally relevant content, from memes to smartphone autocorrect errors, to misheard song lyrics. It includes four new chapters on lexical meaning, onomastics, writing systems, and language in the digital world. Key linguistic terminology is clearly introduced throughout, ensuring that students are well equipped for more technical and formal courses in their later studies. With thorough coverage of nearly all linguistic subfields, the book is an ideal text for an introduction to linguistics or language.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Talking to Garfield: human and animal communication; 3. Did I hear that right? The sounds of language; 4. Twisted words: word structure and meaning; 5. How words mean: connecting words to meanings; 6. The rule of names: naming people, peoples, and places; 7. Fitting words together: phrase structure and meaning; 8. Meaning one thing, saying another: indirect speech and conversational principles; 9. Kids say the darndest things: children acquiring language; 10. Variety is the spice of life: language variation; 11. Making language visible: writing and writing systems; 12. LOL (Language Online): language in the digital world; 13. So long, and thanks for all the fish!
