Introducing English Language: A Resource Book for Students

Summary

Routledge English Language Introductions cover core areas of language study and are one-stop resources for students.

Assuming no prior knowledge, books in the series offer an accessible overview of the subject, with activities, study questions, sample analyses, commentaries and key readings – all in the same volume. The innovative and flexible ‘two-dimensional’ structure is built around four sections – introduction, development, exploration and extension – which offer self-contained stages for study. Each topic can also be read across these sections, enabling the reader to build gradually on the knowledge gained.

Introducing English Language:

• is the foundational book in the Routledge English Language Introductions series, providing an accessible introduction to the English language
• contains newly expanded coverage of morphology, updated and revised exercises, and an extended Further Reading section
• comprehensively covers key disciplines of linguistics such as historical linguistics, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics, as well as core areas in language study including acquisition, standardisation and the globalisation of English
• uses a wide variety of real texts and images from around the world, including a Monty Python sketch, excerpts from novels such as Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, and news items from Metro and the BBC
• provides updated classic readings by the key names in the discipline, including Guy Cook, Andy Kirkpatrick and Zoltán Dörnyei
• is accompanied by a website with extra activities, project ideas for each unit, suggestions for further reading, links to essential English language resources, and course templates for lecturers.

Written by two experienced teachers and authors, this accessible textbook is an essential resource for all students of the English language and linguistics.

Table of Contents

A. Introduction: Key Basic Concepts  1. Phonetics and phonology 2. Morphology and lexicology 3. Semantics and pragmatics 4. Grammatical parts 5. Text and discourse 6. Early language acquisition 7. Psycholinguistics 8. Origins of English 9. Sociolinguistics 10. World Englishes 11. Stylistics 12. Methodological paradigms 13. Language theories
B. Development: Aspects of English 1. Consonants and vowels 2. Lexical semantics 3. Pragmatic principles 4. Syntax 5. Conversation 6. Literacy 7. Schemas and worlds 8. Standardisation and language change 9. Language attitudes 10. Codification 11. Stylistic analysis 12. Techniques and ethics 13. Language and thought
C. Exploration: Investigating English Language 1. Performing accents 2. Word plays 3. Doing politeness 4. Syntactic effects 5. Texts in action 6. Learning to read 7. Exploring the mind 8. Corrections 9. Identify yourself 10. Influencing language 11. Exploring literature 12. Collecting data 13. Theory into practice
D. Extension: Linguistic Readings 1. Articulating masculinity (Kiesling) 2. The search for units of meaning (Sinclair) 3. The speech acts of the in-group (Cutting) 4. Prefabricated expressions in spoken language (Cheshire) 5. Advertising discourse (Cook) 6. Socialisation and grammatical development (Ochs and Schieffelin) 7. Promoting perception (Field) 8. Lexical change (Smith) 9. Social relationships and social practices (Milroy and Gordon) 10. The development of World Englishes (Kirkpatrick) 11. Speech and thought as point of view (Simpson) 12. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research (Dornyei) 13. Researching ‘real’ language (Carter and Sealey)

Author(s) Bio

Louise Mullany is Associate Professor in Sociolinguistics in the School of English at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Peter Stockwell is Professor of Literary Linguistics in the School of English at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Reviews

"Written by two international experts, the second edition of this accessible book offers an engaging route into all aspects of the study of the English language. The topic coverage is wonderfully comprehensive, ranging from accents, world Englishes, and style, to literacy, language attitudes, and guidance on how to collect linguistic data. This up-dated edition is greatly enhanced by a new companion website with a range of additional material that will appeal to students and teachers alike. I am confident it will become an indispensable text for English Language courses internationally."
Janet Holmes, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand