LINGUIST List 11.2410

Tue Nov 7 2000

Books: Descriptive Linguistics

Editor for this issue: Naomi Ogasawara <naomilinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. John Lynch, Descriptive Linguistics Textbook

DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS TEXTBOOK

The Design of Language: An Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics (Terry
Crowley, John Lynch, Jeff Siegel and Julie Piau) is a new textbook which
provides a comprehensive introduction to all areas of general descriptive
linguistics. The chapters include topics likely to be found in most
undergraduate courses on the subject, with some areas extended to more
specialised study, including phonetics and phonology, morphology and
morphophonemics, and syntax. This volume is also an introduction to the
typology of language, and it contains extensive reference particularly to
Austronesian, Australian and Papuan languages of the Pacific region,
representing about one-fifth of the world's languages and a signficant
slice of typological diversity. However, examples are also drawn from other
groupings of languages, including, of course, also well-known European
languages.

Because this volume does not yet have a US distributor, it cannot be
ordered through Amazon.com. Anybody wishing to purchase a copy can,
however, order this on the web at http://www.ubsbooks.co.nz (by searching
for Crowley et al) or it can be ordered by mail from:

Pearson Education New Zealand
Private Bag 102908
North Shore Mail Centre
Auckland 10
New Zealand

Extracts from reviews:

"... extremely useful not only for undergraduates but to everyone who wants
to study and describe one of the many languages of the Pacific.... The book
is written in an easily digested, conversational style, the text is
extremely accessible, and the points made are amply discussed and
exemplified." (Gunter Senft, Linguistics 1997 35: 781-85)

"... a comprehensive introduction to general descriptive linguistics and
the typology of language ... numerous examples from an impressive array of
languages ... worth recommending as a valuable source of most interesting
data from scores of lesser-known languages" (Piotr Stalmaszczyk, Studies in
Second Language Acquisition 1998 20:3:449-50)