Language: Its Structure and Use - Softcover

Finegan, Edward

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1413030556 ISBN 13: 9781413030556

Publisher: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007

Synopsis

LANGUAGE: ITS STRUCTURE AND USE explains core concepts in an interactive style that you can understand no matter what your major. With features like "What Do You Think?" and "Try It Yourself," you'll understand what you're experiencing on campus and in the classroom from a linguistics perspective. The expanded study sections and the available workbook provide you with the tools you'll need for effective test prep.

About this title

About the Author

Edward Finegan (MA and PhD, Ohio University) specializes in sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, forensic linguistics, and the history and structure of the English language. He served as chair of the Department of Linguistics at USC and currently serves as director of USC's Center for Excellence in Teaching. President of the International Association of Forensic Linguists, Finegan is editor of DICTIONARIES: THE JOURNAL OF THE DICTIONARY SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA and has been Liberal Arts Fellow in Law and Linguistics, Harvard University; Visiting Professor at University of Zurich; and Visiting Scholar at University of Helsinki. He also served as Director of American Language Institute/National Iranian Radio and Television [1975-1976 in peaceful times]. He is the recipient of many teaching awards and honors.

Review

"Finegan routinely uses other languages as well as English to illustrate virtually every important topic. This is probably the single strongest feature of the book. In addition, the end of chapter exercises and the separate workbook are very good and the range of topics covered is excellent. And Finegan's sympathy to the performative aspects of language use (language as a communication system that utilizes broader cultural knowledge and contextual cues as well as linguistic competence) is a breath of fresh air."

"Throughout the text, Finegan consistently exhibits a clear, lively writing style that engages the students without sounding condescending. With only a couple of exceptions the chapters beyond the core topics of phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax are gems as stand-alone essays on the nature of language. I truly regret that I don't have more time in a semester to include more of them... The exercises at the ends of the chapters are excellent."

Edition details

• Publisher: Thomson Wadsworth
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1413030556
• ISBN 13: 9781413030556
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 574