Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics

This is an excellent book for anyone studying linguistics. It is detailed and easy to read. I have bought a couple of previous editions and the changes are always up to date in the field. I would highly recommend.

I only studied select chapters from this book but they were interesting and easy to read. My mom picked it up and was also interested, so I eventually gave it to her. It's an interesting book for anyone interested in linguistics.

This book gave excellent explanations for learning linguistics. I enjoyed reading this book and working on the helpful exercises at the end of each section. I ended up learning about linguistics without an instructor as a result of this smartly designed textbook.

Well, I liked this book. I also studied linguistics in college. Its a very good book if you are interested in the subject. I enjoyed seeing some history and practical basic linguistic theory. If you are not a linguist, some of these concepts may be over your head. Its a great book for displaying on your bookshelf to make people think you are smart, too.

This new edition is a much improved version of an old standard. When I first used Language Files, it consisted primarily of a workbook of exercises accompanied by tersely worded handouts. The exercises are still here, and they've been added to and improved. But the text has been greatly expanded and updated so that the book can now stand on its own as a course textbook rather than as simply a workbook supplement. The glossary is excellent, and there is a separate language index in addition to the general index. The book still retains it organization as separate short files, which makes it very easy to find readings on specific topics; the reader feels free to skip around within the text. The brevity of the files adds to their readability. I would recommend this book as a either a course text or supplement for any introductory linguistics course.