The fascinating, fun, and friendly way to understand the science behind human language Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics students study how languages are constructed, how they function, how they affect society, and how humans learn language. From understanding other languages to teaching computers to communicate, linguistics plays a vital role in society. Linguistics For Dummies tracks to a typical college-level introductory linguistics course and arms you with the confidence, knowledge, and know-how to score your highest.
- Understand the science behind human language
- Grasp how language is constructed
- Score your highest in college-level linguistics
If you're enrolled in an introductory linguistics course or simply have a love of human language, Linguistics For Dummies is your one-stop resource for unlocking the science of the spoken word.
Introduction 1 Part I: Looking at Language through the Lens of Linguistics 7
Chapter 1: Knowing a Language Versus Knowing What Language Is 9
Chapter 2: Communicating with Language: The Design Features 21
Part II: The Building Blocks of Language 33
Chapter 3: Building Sounds: Phonetics 35
Chapter 4: Putting Sounds Together: Phonology 57
Chapter 5: Building Words: Morphology 77
Chapter 6: Creating Sentences: Syntax 95
Chapter 7: Making Sense of Meaning: Semantics 117
Chapter 8: Using Language in Conversation: Pragmatics 133
Part III: The Social Life of Language 151
Chapter 9: Living with Language Variation: Sociolinguistics 15lÓ1
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