Linguistics For Dummies
Samenvatting
The fascinating, fun, and friendly way to understand the science behind human language
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics students study how languages are constructed, how they function, how they affect society, and how humans learn language. From understanding other languages to teaching computers to communicate, linguistics plays a vital role in society. Linguistics For Dummies tracks to a typical college–level introductory linguistics course and arms you with the confidence, knowledge, and know–how to score your highest.
Understand the science behind human language
Grasp how language is constructed
Score your highest in college–level linguistics
If you′re enrolled in an introductory linguistics course or simply have a love of human language, Linguistics For Dummies is your one–stop resource for unlocking the science of the spoken word.
Specificaties
Inhoudsopgave
<p>Part I: Looking at Language through the Lens of Linguistics 7</p>
<p>Chapter 1: Knowing a Language Versus Knowing What Language Is 9</p>
<p>Chapter 2: Communicating with Language: The Design Features 21</p>
<p>Part II: The Building Blocks of Language 33</p>
<p>Chapter 3: Building Sounds: Phonetics 35</p>
<p>Chapter 4: Putting Sounds Together: Phonology 57</p>
<p>Chapter 5: Building Words: Morphology 77</p>
<p>Chapter 6: Creating Sentences: Syntax 95</p>
<p>Chapter 7: Making Sense of Meaning: Semantics 117</p>
<p>Chapter 8: Using Language in Conversation: Pragmatics 133</p>
<p>Part III: The Social Life of Language 151</p>
<p>Chapter 9: Living with Language Variation: Sociolinguistics 153</p>
<p>Chapter 10: Finding Family Relations: Historical Linguistics 171</p>
<p>Chapter 11: Cataloguing Differences: Linguistic Typology 189</p>
<p>Chapter 12: Beginning and Ending: Language Birth and Language Death 205</p>
<p>Part IV: Your Brain on Language: Learning and Processing Language 221</p>
<p>Chapter 13: Learning Language 223</p>
<p>Chapter 14: Perceiving Language 245</p>
<p>Chapter 15: Producing Language 259</p>
<p>Chapter 16: Locating Language in the Brain: Neurolinguistics 277</p>
<p>Part V: Getting from Speaking to Writing 293</p>
<p>Chapter 17: Writing Down Language 295</p>
<p>Chapter 18: Writing Changes You 307</p>
<p>Part VI: The Part of Tens 321</p>
<p>Chapter 19: Ten Myths about Language Busted by Linguistics 323</p>
<p>Chapter 20: Ten Unsolved Problems in Linguistics 331</p>
<p>Chapter 21: Top 10 Jobs for Linguists 337</p>
<p>Index 343</p>