Wonders of Language - Or How to Make Noises and Influence People

A lively and thought-provoking introduction to the main discoveries and theories about the nature and wonder of language.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. How to make noises - phonetics; 2. How to organise noises - phonology; 3. How to build a word - morphology; 4. How to say absolutely anything you want to - syntax; 5. How to build a world - semantics; 6. How to influence people - pragmatics; 7. How to find lost languages - historical linguistics; 8. How to influence the right people - sociolinguistics; 9. How to lose a language and how to learn a language - psycholinguistics; 10. How to build a language - language typology and universals.

About the author

Ian Roberts has taught in Switzerland, Wales and Germany, and is currently Professor of Linguistics at the University of Cambridge. He has published six monographs and two textbooks, and has edited several collections of articles.

Summary

This thought-provoking book offers an accessible introduction to the main discoveries and theories about the nature and wonder of language. It is aimed at general readers and undergraduates who are curious about linguistics and language. Purposefully written in a lively and direct style, technical terms are carefully introduced and explained.

Product details

• Authors: Ian Roberts, Ian (University of Cambridge) Roberts
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.11.2016
• EAN: 9781107149939
• ISBN: 978-1-107-14993-9
• No. of pages: 238
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; English, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Grammar & Punctuation, PSYCHOLOGY / Cognitive Psychology & Cognition, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Syntax, Cognition & cognitive psychology, Grammar, syntax & morphology, Cognition and cognitive psychology, Grammar, syntax and morphology