How does the English language work? If you are interested in discovering the answer to this question, then An Introduction to English Language is the ideal place to start. Written in a clear, lively, and easy-to-follow style, this introductory textbook is based around three core topics of linguistic study:
WORD: English words, how they fit into sentences, their internal structure, their meaning and how they make up vocabularies for various purposes.
SOUND: the sound systems of English, its phonetics and phonology, and English intonation and stress patterns.
SENTENCE: English sentence structure and introductory English grammar.
Now thoroughly revised and updated, the second edition of this essential guide features:
· more examples of regional and social variation from English-speaking communities worldwide, including Africa, America, Australia, the Caribbean, Asia, New Zealand and the UK
· extensive chapter glossaries for easy reference and revision
· worked examples and further exercises which are now graded so that they increase in difficulty as the student's understanding grows
An Introduction to English Language is carefully designed as a course-book for either group or individual study, and it remains the essential text for students and teachers of English language and introductory linguistics.
Review of the first edition:
'A book I would recommend to Departments of English world-wide. Kuiper and Allan's book...deals with the bare bones of English structure - its sound system, its lexicon and its syntactic structure. The book...focuses practically and squarely on the language at hand, and it eschews the obfuscation of current linguistic squabbles and the arcanity of some of those representations. That said, however, it does no disservice whatsoever to the sophistication and findings of modern linguistic science.' - Professor Dennis Preston, Michigan State University
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Symbols
The International Phonetic Alphabet
Introduction: What is a Language?
PART I: WORDS
The Form and Function of Words
Word Meanings and Vocabularies
PART II: SOUNDS
Speech Sounds
The Phonology of English
Syllables and Suprasegmentals
PART III: SENTENCES
The Structure of Simple Sentences
Complex Syntax
Answers to Exercises
Index
KOENRAAD KUIPER is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
The late W. SCOTT ALLAN was sometime Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Description
How does the English language work? If you are interested in discovering the answer to this question, then An Introduction to English Language is the ideal place to start. Written in a clear, lively, and easy-to-follow style, this introductory textbook is based around three core topics of linguistic study:
WORD: English words, how they fit into sentences, their internal structure, their meaning and how they make up vocabularies for various purposes.
SOUND: the sound systems of English, its phonetics and phonology, and English intonation and stress patterns.
SENTENCE: English sentence structure and introductory English grammar.
Now thoroughly revised and updated, the second edition of this essential guide features:
· more examples of regional and social variation from English-speaking communities worldwide, including Africa, America, Australia, the Caribbean, Asia, New Zealand and the UK
· extensive chapter glossaries for easy reference and revision
· worked examples and further exercises which are now graded so that they increase in difficulty as the student's understanding grows
An Introduction to English Language is carefully designed as a course-book for either group or individual study, and it remains the essential text for students and teachers of English language and introductory linguistics.
Reviews
Review of the first edition:
'A book I would recommend to Departments of English world-wide. Kuiper and Allan's book...deals with the bare bones of English structure - its sound system, its lexicon and its syntactic structure. The book...focuses practically and squarely on the language at hand, and it eschews the obfuscation of current linguistic squabbles and the arcanity of some of those representations. That said, however, it does no disservice whatsoever to the sophistication and findings of modern linguistic science.' - Professor Dennis Preston, Michigan State University
Contents
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Symbols
The International Phonetic Alphabet
Introduction: What is a Language?
PART I: WORDS
The Form and Function of Words
Word Meanings and Vocabularies
PART II: SOUNDS
Speech Sounds
The Phonology of English
Syllables and Suprasegmentals
PART III: SENTENCES
The Structure of Simple Sentences
Complex Syntax
Answers to Exercises
Index
Authors
KOENRAAD KUIPER is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
The late W. SCOTT ALLAN was sometime Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
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