ABSTRACT

This innovative introduction to linguistics connects language structure to everyday use, culture, and context, making the technicalities of language structure accessible, vivid, and engaging.

The first text to take a socially realistic linguistics approach, this exciting new textbook situates discussions about the building blocks of language like phonetics, syntax, and pragmatics within a social justice framework that recognizes that all language is shaped by sociocultural forces and reveals and reinforces ideologies. Uniquely, this text also introduces ecolinguistics, a new field that examines the relationship between language and its environment, again demonstrating how widely held views about language can have real-world consequences. Key features include:

  • "Linguistics in your world" sections to connect concepts discussed with specific social issues
  • "L1 acquisition in focus" sections to relate key concepts to first language acquisition
  • "Explorations" sections at the end of each chapter to encourage students to test their knowledge, discuss in groups, and apply what they have learned to their own experiences
  • End-of-chapter summaries and key term lists to conclude the main lessons and highlights of each chapter
  • Recommendations for further reading

Everyday Linguistics: An Introduction to the Study of Language is an ideal starting point for students that are new to the study of language, and those not majoring in language study.

chapter Chapter 1|7 pages

Introduction

chapter Chapter 2|20 pages

A language is a language, right?

chapter Chapter 3|24 pages

Morphology

Word histories and structure

chapter Chapter 4|21 pages

Phonetics

The sounds of English

chapter Chapter 5|18 pages

Phonology

Why do we say it like that?

chapter Chapter 6|25 pages

Syntax

Ordering words, making sentences

chapter Chapter 7|13 pages

Semantics

Relationships among words

chapter Chapter 8|20 pages

Language in everyday interaction

chapter Chapter 9|19 pages

Language variation and society

chapter Chapter 10|14 pages

African American Language

chapter Chapter 11|12 pages

Genders, identities, and linguistic performance

chapter Chapter 12|20 pages

Multilingualism

chapter Chapter 13|20 pages

Language birth and death

chapter Chapter 14|8 pages

Ecolinguistics

Language and the environment