LINGUIST List 12.2547

Fri Oct 12 2001

Sum: Books for Linguistics Entrance Exam

Editor for this issue: Marie Klopfenstein <marielinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Deborah Ruuskanen, Summary of Introductory Books for Linguistics Entrance Exam

Regarding my recent request for help with a general book on
language/linguistics for use in a department entrance exam:
Thanks and gratitude go to the following persons who took the time to
reply and make thoughtful suggestions

Mayrene Bentley bentleynsuok.edu
Claudia Bubel c.bubelmx.uni-saarland.de
Eleonora Deak dacsth-eastlingnt-tech.com.au
Agnieszka Lazorczyk lazorczyusc.edu
G.R. Sampson geoffscogs.susx.ac.uk
Thorsten Schr�ter thorsten.schroterkau.se
Stuart Stewart sstewartselu.edu
Larry Trask larrytcogs.susx.ac.uk

Hopefully each of the above has been thanked personally, and I've gotten
everyone who replied into the above list. Thanks again.

After considerable debate, it was decided in committee to use 

Aitchison, Jean (1999) Linguistics: An Introduction 2nd ed.

as the book for the entrance exam. While not boring you with the debate,
suffice it to say that in 2003 we will be using 

Trask, Larry (2000) Introducing Linguistics. Icon Books
ISBN 1840461691

The book most often recommended was

Yule, George (1996) The Study of Language, 2nd ed. Cambridge University
Press. ISBN 0-521-56851-x (pb.)

followed in second place by

Poole, Stuart C. (1999) An Introduction to Linguistics, Palgrave.
(formerly Macmillan Press) ISBN: 0333692187 (pb.)	

Another book mentioned was

Fromkin, Victoria & Rodman, Robert (1998) An Introduction to Language,
6th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt, Brace College Publishers 

The Yule and Poole books were both deemed too difficult for an absolute
beginner, but I was sufficiently impressed by both of them that I have
chosen them as the new books for the Introduction to Linguistics course,
replacing in Autumn 2002 the books we are currently using, which are out
of date.

Thanks again for all your help.
Sincerely,
Deborah D.K. Ruuskanen
Professor of English Linguistics
University of Vaasa, Finland