ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters in this book. The book provides readers with general information, but also with more detail should readers want to explore the topics covered in more depth. It discusses language change, variation, and acquisition, and also devotes one chapter to each of these areas of study in linguistics. The book introduces different ways that linguists study the sounds of language, and some of the concepts central to the study of phonology. It deals with a set of key concepts that guide research in these fields, and highlights the knowledge and skills gained by studying each area. The book discovers the overview of the basic questions that linguists seek to answer, and of the fundamental concepts and terminology central to linguistic inquiry. It explores in some depth the study of the components of grammar, providing examples of the phenomena that linguists study.
