A Concise Introduction to Linguistics

Provides a linguistic foundation for students of all majors

Assisted by numerous pedagogical aids, A Concise Introduction to Linguistics, 4/e explains all concepts in a systematic way making complex linguistic topics as easy to learn as possible. This introductory title covers the core topics of linguistics, providing the information and concepts that will allow students to understand more detailed and advanced treatments of linguistics. This student-friendly and well-balanced overview of the field of introductory linguistics pays special attention to linguistic anthropology and reveals the main contributions of linguistics to the study of human communication and how issues of culture are relevant. Its workbook format contains well-constructed exercises in every chapter that allow students to practice key concepts.

Bruce M. Rowe is a professor of anthropology at Los Angeles Pierce College, where he has taught since 1970. He designed the college’s first linguistics course for students majoring or minoring in linguistics, anthropology, education, English, Interpreting for the Deaf, and communications studies, and for those fulfilling a general education requirement. Professor Rowe also teaches physical and cultural anthropology as well as sociology. In addition to A Concise Introduction to Linguistics, he has co-authored ten editions of Physical Anthropology, two editions of Physical Anthropology: The Core, and physical anthropology study guides and workbooks (all with Philip L. Stein). Professor Rowe has authored four editions of The College Survival Guide: Hints and References to Aid College Students and The College Awareness Guide: What Students Need to Know to Succeed in College. He has received numerous awards for teaching. He is a fellow of the American Anthropological Association and a member of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and the Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges.

Diane P. Levine is a professor of anthropology at Los Angeles Pierce College, where she teaches cultural and physical anthropology, as well as linguistics. She is the chair of the Department of Anthropological and Geographical Sciences As a former teacher of English and ESL, she has written articles on the use of literature in the ESL classroom and presented seminars on critical thinking in the language arts classroom. Professor Levine is on the advisory boards for Annual Editions: Anthropology and is also a national advisor for the film series Cultural Anthropology: Our Diverse World. She is a member of the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges.

In This Section:

I)  Brief Table of Contents

II) Detailed Table of Contents

I)     Brief Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The Nature of Communication

Chapter 2. The Phonological Component: Phonetics

Chapter 3. The Phonological Component: Phonology

Chapter 4. The Morphological Component

Chapter 5. Syntax

Chapter 6. Semantics and Pragmatics

Chapter 7. Sociolinguistics and Linguistic Anthropology

Chapter 8. Language Acquisition

Chapter 9. Sign Language

Chapter 10. Writing Systems

Chapter 11. Nonverbal Communication

Chapter 12. Historical Linguistics

II) Detailed Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The Nature of Communication

The Nature of Communication

Nonhuman and Human Communication Compared

Chimpanzees and Gorillas in Controlled Environments

Skepticism over Ape Language Studies

Chapter 2. The Phonological Component: Phonetics

Articulatory Phonetics

Consonants and Vowels

Syllables and Syllabic Consonants

Suprasegmentals

Connected Speech

Chapter 3. The Phonological Component: Phonology

The Phoneme and the Concept of Significant Differences in Sounds

Distinctive Feature Analysis

Phonological Processes

The Continuous and Complex Nature of Speech, Revised

Chapter 4. The Morphological Component

The Morpheme

Morphological Typology

How New Words Are Formed

Lexical Categories

Chapter 5. Syntax

Syntactic Construction

Grammaticality Judgments and Ambiguity

The Constituent Structure of Sentences

Phrase Structure Rules

Transformational Rules

Optional and Obligatory Transformations

Chapter 6. Semantics and Pragmatics

The Meaning of Words: Lexical Semantics

The -Nyms

Other Kinds of Meaning: Structural Semantics

Pragmatics

Fieldwork Project

Chapter 7. Sociolinguistics and Linguistic Anthropology

Regional Dialects

African American English

Hispanic English

Contact Languages: Pidgins and Creoles

Situational Dialects or Registers

Gender and Language

Linguistic Anthropology

Language and Nationalism

Chapter 8. Language Acquisition

Language and the Brain

Ideas about Language Acquisition

How Do Children Acquire the Components of Language?

Language Socialization: Three Examples

The Acquisition of Sign Language

Bilingualism

Chapter 9. Sign Language

The Nature of Sign Language

What Is ASL?

Nicaraguan Sign Language: The Birth of a New Language

Social Dimensions of Sign Language

Chapter 10. Writing Systems

Writing Is Secondary to Speech and Sign Language

Types of Writing Systems

The History of Writing

The Printing Press

A Few Words about Computers

Chapter 11. Nonverbal Communication

What Does “Nonverbal” Mean?

Kinesic Behavior

Affect Displays

The Eyes Have It

Physical Appearance

Touching (Tactile) Behavior

Paralanguage

Proxemics

The Physical Environment

“How-To” Books: A Word of Caution

Chapter 12. Historical Linguistics

The Relationships between Languages

Types of Language Change

How Long Does It Take a Language to Change?

Disappearing, Reappearing, and Emerging Languages

The Spread of Englishes

New Jargons

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