Language and Linguistics: An Introduction

370 pages. cover worn & creased, bumped, This 1981 book is a general introduction to linguistics and the study of lang uage, intended particularly for beginning students and readers with no previous knowledge or training in the subject. There is first a general account of the na ture of language and of the aims, methods and basic principles of linguistic the ory. John Lyons then introduces in turn each of the main sub-fields of linguisti cs: the sounds of language, grammar, semantics, language change, psycholinguisti cs: the sounds of language, grammar, semantics, language change, psycholinguisti cs, language and culture. Throughout the book he emphasizes particularly those a spects of the discipline that seem fundamental and most likely to remain importa nt. He stresses throughout the cultural at least as much as the biological conte xt of human language, and shows how the linguist's concerns connect productively with those of the traditional humanities and the social sciences. Each chapter has a wide-ranging set of discussion questions and revision exercises, and exten sive suggestions for further reading. The exposition is marked throughout by the author's characteristic clarity, balance and authority.…