ATS Translation

This popular introductory linguistics text is unique in the way various themes are integrated throughout the book. One primary theme is the question, "How is a speaker's communicative intent recognized?" Rather than treat phonology, phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics as completely separate fields, the text shows how they interact in principled ways. Similarly, language variation and acquisition are informed by results in these fields. The text provides a sound introduction to linguistic methodology while also revealing why people are intrinsically interested in language--the ultimate puzzle of the human mind.

The fifth edition has been thoroughly revised. Revisions include, but are not limited to, the addition of "selected readings" sections, updated examples, new discussion on the creative nature of neologisms, and the use of IPA as the primary transcription system throughout. This edition also includes an account of the patterns of occurrence of reduced vowels in English. An understanding of these patterns enables the reader to write a phonemic transcription of any English word.

Paperback:  624 pages
Language:  English
ISBN:  0262511231
Author/Editor:  Adrian Akmajian, Richard A. Demers, Ann K. Farmer, Robert M. Harnish (2001)

This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the major issues in syntactic theory, including phrase structure, the lexicon, case theory, movement, and locality conditions.

Written primarily in the Principles and Parameters framework, the text also includes an introduction to Minimalism and gives a brief survey of both Lexical-Functional Grammar and Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar. It contains numerous exercises, including foreign language problem sets, designed both to cement foundational knowledge and to take the student to the next level. The balanced presentation guides the student through complicated analyses, pointing out common mistakes and how to avoid them. Syntax provides a thorough grounding in all areas of generative syntax and prepares the reader for more advanced study.

Paperback:  390 pages
Language:  English
ISBN:  0631225447
Author/Editor:  Andrew Carnie (2002)

Rutgers University linguist Baker delivers a milestone in the field of linguistics. In fact, the book goes far in establishing linguistics as a hard science. But before diving into linguistic jargon, Baker engagingly describes the success of the Navajo Code Talkers during WWII; their language proved the one cipher that eluded Japanese cryptographers. While most people would consider words the components of language a lexical rather than a grammatical issue Baker explores the "parametric theory" posited by, among others, Noam Chomsky, which cites grammatical structure or "parameters as the atoms of linguistic diversity." Many linguists find these parameters "recipes" for how words are put together to form meaning a satisfactory explanation for both the similarities and the differences between languages of completely different origins. English and Edo (West African), for example, are grammatically closer than English and French. Baker and others do not believe that word-order formulae stem from either cultural factors or "the survival dynamics of evolutionary biology." He doesn't, however, deny the cultural implications of language: numerous parameters prevented Napoleonic French, for example, from dominating Europe. Certain issues have weak explanations, such as the reasons that various Latinate languages developed divergent parameters. The concluding, somewhat indirect discussion of "hints of what parameters are related to" feels like a push for page count. Though Baker's comparison between linguistics and chemistry i.e., between the detection of grammatical "recipes" and chemists’ long struggle to establish the periodic table may seem extreme to some, his clarification of complicated linguistics theories is more accessible than most. Sadly, few Americans care about word order (even in English), so this significant book may only get attention from specialists and libraries.

Paperback:  288 pages
Language:  English
ISBN:  0465005225
Author/Editor:  Mark C. Baker (2002)

First ever textbook on Optimality Theory, a major new area of linguistic theory.

Paperback:  400 pages
Language:  English
ISBN:  0521589800
Author/Editor:  Reni Kager, S. R. Anderson (1999)

Radford's new textbook is primarily for students with little or no background in syntax who need a lively and up-to-date introduction to contemporary work on transformational grammar. It covers four main topics: the goals of linguistic theory, syntactic structure, the nature and role of the lexicon, and the function and operations of transformations. The general framework considers major works, such as Chomsky's Knowledge of Language and Barriers, written since the publication of Radford's widely acclaimed Transformational Syntax in 1981. The present book uses a more recent theoretical construction and also covers a wider range of frameworks at the descriptive level than its predecessor. Radford is well known for his effective teaching approaches and this current volume demonstrates his talent by giving a concise, non-technical introduction to the field. At each chapter's end are exercises that reinforce the text, allowing students to apply the various concepts discussed and encouraging them to look more critically at some of the assumptions and analyses presented. Radford provides a useful, detailed bibliography of primary source material.

Paperback:  640 pages
Language:  English
ISBN:  0764123947
Author/Editor:  Andrew Radford, S. R. Anderson, ... (1988)