Please Note: This is a new version of a previously announced text.

If you've ever wondered why we need concepts like 'noun' and 'verb' or 'word' and 'phrase' when discussing language, this book is for you. Deliberately selective in its approach, 'The Language of Language' is aimed at multilingual speakers of English with no prior background in language studies. We explore the nature of language and linguists' agreed-upon ways of talking about the object of their inquiry, focusing on modes of thinking rather than comprehensive content coverage. Our goal is to encourage informed thinking about (why) language matters, so that you can continue puzzling about language issues long after you've worked your way through this book and its companion website.

Now in its third edition, at just over 300 pages and priced to make you want to own it, the book is packed with over 100 commented activities, examples of language play, and fun food for thought, designed to whet your appetite for linguistics and language studies. This new edition is available for textbook adoption internationally.

The companion website, at www.lang101.com/, contains more activities, for self-study or the classroom, and instructors' resources which include teaching slides and class handouts.

'The Language of Language' provides a careful selection of important topics in linguistic inquiry and gives a clear overview of each. And, what must have been a difficult feat indeed, the ideas are presented in a way that is always interesting and frequently amusing. ... It is the ideal course book to choose in countries where either one finds several varieties of English spoken or where students are learning English as a second or foreign language, as is true in much of Asia. Dr Gloria Poedjosoedarmo, Independent Scholar, Singapore

[My course] is given in the very first semester, aiming at giving the students a strong base in understanding how language works. Using this book through an active learning process for the second time, I found that the book could become a very strong foundation for them to learn other linguistics subjects. In the following semesters, the students could see clearly why they have to learn those materials [...]. The content of the book is enriched with examples that are familiar with our students' context. This makes it possible for me to explore the content and to relate it to their context. I have been teaching the subject to different groups of students at different institutions using different books. This is the first time I could make this theoretical subject grounded. Dr Soepriyatna, Sampoerna School of Education, Indonesia

This text offers a clear explanation of the core concepts of linguistics and would be an appropriate choice as a text for an introductory linguistics class. The volume provides a solid base on which the student can build by taking more advanced courses in linguistics. Dr Amy Thompson, Michigan State University

See http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456458639 for more reviews, customer reviews, and to explore the book's contents.