Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/34.1101

AUTHOR: Department of Linguistics
TITLE: Language Files
SUBTITLE: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics, 13th Edition
PUBLISHER: The Ohio State University Press
YEAR: 2022

REVIEWER: Carrie Ankerstein

SUMMARY

Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics started out in 1977-1979 as a compilation of teaching materials used by the Linguistics Department at Ohio State University (OSU) with the 270-page second edition appearing in 1982 with new editions coming every three or so years. The 10th edition (2007) debuted a design overhaul which continues in the most recent 784-page 13th edition published in 2022.
For those already familiar with Language Files, which is likely to be many given that it is one of the most widely used textbooks in linguistics (see https://ohiostatepress.org), each chapter addresses a specific area, broken down into ‘files’, including practice activities for each file and suggestions for further reading. The preface documents the changes made to the previous edition including clarifications, corrections, expanded examples, revisions, updates and the addition of two new files in Chapter 16 Language and Computers including File 16.5 ‘Deep Learning in Computational Linguistics’ and File 16.6 ‘Other areas of Computational Linguistics’. A full table of contents is available at: https://linguistics.osu.edu/research/pubs/lang-files/table.
Chapter 1: Introduction offers an overview of what language and the study of language are with a discussion of ‘surprising but true things about language’, some common myths about language, and the design features of language. The chapter also includes some suggestions for how to use the book to take advantage of its modularity and links to other resources including an answer key for selected exercises, sound files and weblinks. It also mentions the glossary, selected bibliography, language index and subject index at the end of the book. The further readings list includes another introduction to linguistics book, two encyclopedias of language (including ethnologue.com) and two books on sign languages, all published between 1985 and 2019.
Chapter 2: Phonetics presents the study of the minimal units that make up spoken and signed languages. Here the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is presented along with articulatory phonetics (with a focus on American English), sounds of other languages, suprasegmental features and acoustic phonetics. Auditory phonetics is mentioned only briefly. Further reading here includes two books on the sounds of the world’s languages, a general book on phonetics and a book on acoustic and auditory phonetics, all published between 1996-2015.
Logically following phonetics is Phonology in Chapter 3. Here phonotactic constraints, i.e., what sounds can co-occur in various languages, is presented along with common phonological rules, implicational laws and how to solve phonological problems, i.e., identification of phonemes and allophones and predicting the occurrence of allophones. The practice section includes a range of exercises, activities and discussion questions including phonological problem solving at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels for a number of languages. Further reading here lists three introductory books on phonology, all published between 1996-2013.
Chapter 4: Morphology addresses the nature of the word and its formation. Morphological processes are presented, the morphology of various spoken and signed languages, derivation and morphological analysis are also covered. The practice section includes a range of exercises, activities and discussion questions including morphological analysis at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels for several languages. Further reading here lists six introductory books on morphology and a book on word formation in English, all published between 2003-2012.
Following the presentation of sounds and words that make up language, Chapter 5 continues with syntax or how sentences and phrases are structured. Here the basics are covered including syntactic properties, constituency, categories and phrase structure rules for a simple grammar of English. The practice section includes a range of exercises, activities and discussion questions mostly focused on English. Further reading lists three books on generative syntax, head-driven phrase structure grammar and a general book on syntax, all published between 1994-2020.
Chapter 6: Semantics addresses lexical, sentential and compositional semantics. The practice section features a range of exercises, activities and discussion questions focused on English. Further reading here consists of three introductory books on semantics, all published between 1995-2007.
Chapter 7: Pragmatics presents the meaning of language in context. The rules of conversation, drawing conclusions (entailment, inference, implication and implicature), speech acts and presupposition are all covered. The practice section includes a range of exercises, activities and discussion questions focused on English. Further reading here includes four introductory books on pragmatics, all published between 1996-2008.
The first half of the book covers the core areas of linguistics and forms the basis for the second half which addresses areas of linguistic study which starts with Language Acquisition in Chapter 8, focusing on first language acquisition including the main theories of language acquisition, how infants acquire speech sounds, morphology, syntax and semantics and also how adults talk to children. There is a very brief section (4 pages) on bilingualism and second language acquisition. Further reading here lists three books on general first language acquisition, one book on bilingual first language acquisition and one book on how children in Nicaragua created Nicaraguan Sign Language, all published between 2001-2017.
Chapter 9 on Psycholinguistics covers the basics including language in the brain, developmental and acquired language disorders, production and perception for both spoken and signed languages including discussions on errors in production and perception, sentence processing and experimental methods in psycholinguistics. Further reading includes five introductory psycholinguistics books and one book on language production, all published between 2000-2014.
Chapter 10: Language Variation presents the ways in which language can vary, i.e., at sound, word, grammar levels; regional and social variation; ethnic variation with a focus on American Englishes; and language and identity. Further reading here is comprised of a diverse range of books on specific varieties of American English, including: Chicano English, African-American Vernacular English, American Sign Language, language and gender, and two books on American English dialects, all published between 1984-2015.
In Chapter 11: Language and Culture, a survey of the ways in which language reflects and influences humanity is presented including linguistic anthropology, language and thought, language and power, politeness, and ethnography. Further reading includes two introductory books on linguistic anthropology, two books on language and thought, two books on language and politics and one volume on politeness, all published between 1990-2021.

Chapter 12: Language Contact presents a number of topics in language contact including borrowings from other languages into English, pidgins and creoles, societal multilingualism, language endangerment and death, and two different case studies in language contact (Kupwar and Deitsch). Further reading includes two introductions to language contact, two books on language endangerment, one book on pidgins and creoles and one book on language contact in the history of English, all published between 2001-2015.
Chapter 13: Language Change covers the phenomenon of how languages change over time, including language relatedness, language reconstruction and changes to phonologies, morphologies, syntaxes and semantics. The practice section includes a range of exercises, activities and discussion questions including languages other than English. Further reading includes a glossary and three general introductions to historical linguistics, a biography of the English language and a volume on Indo-European language and culture, all published between 2007-2021.
The design features of language presented in Chapter 1, File 1.4 are revisited in Chapter 14: Animal Communication, which explores communication systems in the animal kingdom and attempts that have been made to teach other animals language. Further reading includes one book on language and apes, dolphins and grey parrots; one book on language and apes (focusing on Kanzi); one book on language and grey parrots focusing on Alex; one general book on animal communication; one book on non-speaking humans (feral children), animals and cognition; and one book on the ethics of animal studies, all published between 1993-2004.

Chapter 15: Writing Systems explores the various writing systems of languages including language and culture, types of writing systems, and the evolution of writing systems. The practice section includes a range of exercises, activities and discussion questions including languages other than English. Further reading includes two books on language and the internet and five books on writing systems, all published between 1989-2008.
Chapter 16: Language and Computers covers speech synthesis, automatic speech recognition, communicating with computers, machine translation, and the new files on deep learning in computational linguistics and other areas of computational linguistics. Due to the nature of technological advancements, such chapters risk becoming obsolete soon after publication in a wide-ranging textbook. However, the inclusion in the practice section of an activity inviting the reader to explore “recent developments or breakthroughs”, asking whether they “interact with programs on a regular basis” and whether the reader knows of “additional tasks in this area that people are working on developing” allows for guided or independent investigation of new technologies. Further reading includes two general books on language and computers (2003 and 2013), a book on speech and language processing (2008) and a 1997 volume on HAL’s legacy (HAL being the AI from 2001: A Space Odyssey).

Chapter 17: Practical Applications includes a number of career paths for linguists including: language education, speech-language pathology and audiology, forensic linguistics, language in advertising, code and code-breaking, and ‘being a linguist’ in academia and industry. Though this file comments on information technology companies which might hire linguists such as Amazon, Facebook and Google, there is notably no comment on working with language apps, such as Grammarly or WordTune, or AI (ChatGPT was made publicly available in November 2022 after the publication of this edition). I suspect the 14th edition of Language Files will cover these new and growing technologies. The practice section includes a range of exercises, discussion questions, and activities, including finding a linguistics professor and asking them about their research. Further reading lists ten books including three books on language and law, two books on language and crime, one book on language and advertising, two books on language and code breaking (including a work of fiction), a guide for graduate students of linguistics and a book on linguistics at work, all published between 1993-2019.

EVALUATION

Language Files is modular and all chapters include a well-thought-out practice section with exercises, activities and discussion questions using the same headings as in the files – making it easy for students and instructors to use only certain sections of a chapter. At 17 chapters and 784 pages, selective reading is likely. The textbook is well-balanced in covering the core areas of linguistics in the first half (pages 37-325) and the areas of linguistic study in the second half (pages 327-692). It also includes an appendix (example answers to selected exercises), a glossary, selected bibliography, language index and subject index.
I have personally used the 11th edition of Language Files and I moved to the 12th edition when OSU Press generously made the ebook freely available (until 30th June 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the world-wide move to online teaching. I and my students have found Language Files comprehensive yet economically written, easy to understand, and easy to use. The 13th edition continues in the same vein with a number of changes and additions – notably using inclusive language (singular they) and adding files to Chapter 16 Language and Computers. In addition to breadth of content, a wide range of spoken and signed languages are mentioned throughout, though the focus is often on spoken and signed American English.
Whilst Language Files is generally comprehensive, some readers might find some sections too brief. For example, auditory phonetics does not have the same coverage as articulatory and acoustic phonetics. Semantics, one of the core areas of linguistics, is the shortest of all the chapters in the first half, and bilingualism and second language acquisition are only very briefly mentioned, despite the fact that the majority of people in the world are multilingual. Such gaps can easily be supplemented by an instructor, but for independent readers, it may be disappointing.
Inevitably, some parts of the chapters on Language and Computers and Practical Applications risk obsolescence, and this will likely be addressed in the next edition; and given the nature of technology, those changes will become obsolete as well. That said, both these chapters give important overviews of the basic issues at hand and the practical sections are well-constructed to accommodate for such changes. For example, in Chapter 16 Language and Computers, one of the listed activities is to go back and complete some of the tasks with newer technology. In one exercise, the reader is asked to interact with the chatbot ELIZA to figure out how it formulates its replies. Of course, this exercise could be easily repeated with ChatGPT, for example, and instructors could have their students compare the output generated by both bots.
For some, the cost of Language Files may be a consideration. The paperback version is available for $79.95 and the ebook for $49.95. To compare, George Yule’s (2022) introductory text, The Study of Language, is available as an ebook/paperback for $33.40 (€31.50). However, Language Files at 784 pages is almost twice as long as The Study of Language at 404 pages.
My only true qualm about Language Files are the further readings lists at the end of each chapter. Given the amount of effort put in elsewhere in the book, these lists are disappointing. These publications are sometimes old for a book published in 2022 and the brief lists are also repetitive. For example, several reading lists include multiple introductory texts which are likely to be very similar. I think it would be better to include annotated lists of selected books, essays and articles on specific issues and controversies and influential texts such as Noam Chomsky’s review of B.F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior or Geoffrey Pullum’s essay ‘The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax’. Links to vetted podcasts, blogs and videos might also be more attuned to today’s target audience.

In sum, Language Files is an excellent comprehensive introduction to linguistics. It is well-balanced, economically written and accessible. I have personally used previous editions in introductory linguistics classes and can highly recommend the newest edition.
REFERENCES
Chomsky, N. (1967). A Review of B. F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior. In L. A. Jakobovits & M. S. Miron (eds.), Readings in the Psychology of Language. Prentice-Hall.
Pullum, G. K. (1991). The great Eskimo vocabulary hoax and other irreverent essays on the study of language. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
Yule, G. (2022). The Study of Language. 7th ed. CUP.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Carrie Ankerstein, PhD, is a senior lecturer in English Linguistics at Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany, where she teaches general linguistics, psycholinguistics, applied linguistics, and academic writing. Her research interests include second language acquisition and explicit and implicit processes in L1 and L2 language processing.