Product Description
This collection of original essays approaches second language acquisition from a linguistic rather than a sociological, psychological, or purely pedagogical perspective. A wide range of viewpoints and approaches is represented; however, all authors agree on the fundamental importance of linguistic theory in the study of second language acquisition. Few works have explored in depth how a second language is acquired and what the second language learner must do mentally to achieve proficiency in another language. The essays in this book provide an incisive analysis of these questions. For greater accessibility, the chapters are arranged topically from those covering the broad area of theories of acquisition to those focusing specifically on syntax, semantics, pragmatics, lexicon, and phonology in another language. ... Read more

Product Description

The Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics provides a unique work of reference to the leading ideas, debates, topics, approaches and methodologies in Forensic Linguistics.

Forensic Linguistics is the study of language and the law, covering topics from legal language and courtroom discourse to plagiarism. It also concerns the applied (forensic) linguist who is involved in providing evidence, as an expert, for the defence and prosecution, in areas as diverse as blackmail, trademarks and warning labels.

The Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics includes a comprehensive introduction to the field written by the editors and a collection of thirty-seven original chapters written by the world’s leading academics and professionals, both established and up-and-coming, designed to equip a new generation of students and researchers to carry out forensic linguistic research and analysis.

The Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics is the ideal resource for undergraduates or postgraduates new to the area.

Product Description
A general introduction to the area of theoretical linguistics known as cognitive linguistics, this textbook provides up-to-date coverage of all areas of the field, including recent developments within cognitive semantics (such as Primary Metaphor Theory, Conceptual Blending Theory, and Principled Polysemy), and cognitive approaches to grammar (such as Radical Construction Grammar and Embodied Construction Grammar). The authors offer clear critical evaluations of competing formal approaches within theoretical linguistics. For example, cognitive linguistics is compared to Generative Grammar and Relevance Theory. In the selection of material and in the presentations the authors have aimed for a balanced perspective.Part II, Cognitive Semantics, and Part III, Cognitive Approaches to Grammar, have been created to be read independently. The authors have kept in mind that different instructors and readers will need to use the book in different ways tailored to their own goals.The coverage is suitable for a number of courses.While all topics are presented in terms accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students of linguistics, cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and modern languages, this work is sufficiently comprehensive and detailed to serve as a reference work for scholars who wish to gain a better understanding of cognitive linguistics. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a major introduction to historical linguistics, designed for students who have no background in historical linguistics but who have at least some knowledge of phonetics, phonology and morphology. Historical linguistic theory is introduced throughout where appropriate, although the book presupposes no acquaintance with contemporary theories of phonology or syntax. The author introduces all major types of change, consequences of change (dialect and language families), methods in historical linguistics, and later chapters deal with sociolinguistic aspects of change, language contact, birth and death of languages, language and prehistory and finally the issue of very remote relations.

The book covers the more recent work on the study of phonological changes in progress, on morphological and syntactic change, and on typological approaches to change, and it addresses such recent controversies as the Nostratic hypothesis and the Greenberg/Cavalli-Sforza work on language, genes and teeth.It al ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent
I am teaching an undergraduate historical linguistics course, my first time doing so.As the textbook, I chose Campbell's (2004) 'Historical Linguistics: an introduction'.The Campbell textbook is very good (particularly with regard to exploring examples outside of Indo-European languages), and I picked it because I was already familiar with it.But, honestly, I wish I had picked this book instead.
Trask is clear and thorough, and has a slightly informal writing style that makes the material very accessible. Some chapters & sections are a bit longer than they really need to be (in my opinion), but overall the book is over strikingly comprehensive, and well organized.
The one downside of the book that I notice is the constant use of Basque in examples and exercises.While it is always refreshing to see examples in historical linguistics that don't come from Romance, Germanic, or Indo-Aryan languages, and there's no doubting Trask's extensive understanding of Basque, it does get repetitive.Assorted differences between the same handful of Basque dialects are used to illustrate almost every key point or theme, and Basque seems to make up the majority of the exercises at the end of each chapter.

One of the better textbooks for undergraduates and autodidacts
Larry Trask's textbook of historical linguistics was first published in 1996. In 2007, several years after the untimely death of that great scholar, a revised edition appeared, entitled Trask's Historical Linguistics. However, this old first edition is still widely sold, and it can still be used by university courses to great profit. It could even be used by the individual who wants to learn about the subject.

In the introduction to the book, Trask himself categorized it among the competition. He felt that it was more demanding than Jeffers and Lehiste (1979), comparable to Lehmann (1992) but with substantially different organization and coverage, and less demanding than Anttila (1988) or Hock (1986), and I agree. Trask's book does assume some previous experience with basic linguistics, but it is clearly directed towards university undergraduates. It covers the usual ground, with recent research like new phonological theories and ergativity taken into account.

One feature that distinguishes Trask's book is the use of Basque in many examples. Though its speakers are securely located in the very Western European country of Spain, Basque is unfortunately left out from books based mainly on Western European languages due to its odd character. Nonetheless, some knowledge of Basque could come in handy for historical linguists--it would have helped me better understand Heine and Kuteva's monograph on the European sprachbund, for example.

Trask's textbook is also unique among the crowd for the attention he gives to long-range hypotheses, fairly remarking that perhaps linguists have missed some connections because of over-specialization, but soundly debunking the work of charlatans like Merrit Ruhlen who think they can reconstruct some kind of "Proto-World". A nice touch is how Trask compares the public's readiness to accept coincidential similarities between, say, Hawaiian and Ancient Greek to the so-called "birthday paradox".

My major complaint with Trask's book is with the production. The typesetting is hard on the eyes, and the binding does not lie flat. All in all, if I had to pick my favourite textbook on the field, it would be Campbell's recent Historical Linguistics, 2nd Edition: An Introduction, where the author's excellent material is presented in a supremely readable manner. Nonetheless, instructors will have to decide themselves what book is best for their course, and Trask is certainly one worth evaluating.

Masterpiece
I have taught university courses with this book for some years now. There were already good books on the market, but when Trask's book was published I soon realized that this was the one I had been waiting for.

The books begins with a thorough survey of the various ways in which languages change - lexical of course, semantic, phonological (the most studied area), morphological and syntactic. For many these areas are necessary preliminaries, and they are well covered. There follows a key chapter about the different ways in which languages can be related. Next comes a detailed examination of the methods of historical reconstruction, and then a further two chapters on (sociolinguistic) variation and language contact, including bilingualism and the birth and death of languages. The importance of these areas to Historical Linguistics is emphasized in most modern works, and they are indeed often combined into one interdisciplinary field. Finally there is a survey of recent speculation on the more remote linguistic past of humanity. Although this is a controversial area, I find Trask's judgement here to be impeccable and his comments fair-minded.

The whole book is written with an unobtrusive humour, without ever coming close to the "laugh a minute" style of some popularizers of linguistics. At the end of each chapter there is a good selection of thought-provoking exercises. Many of these involve Basque, on which Trask was a great expert, but one can pick and choose.

All in all, five stars it is.

An excellent presentation of historical linguistics
As a lay reader, I found the coverage of topics to be impressive and detailed. Sometimes a bit too detailed; but you can always skip over anything that falls into the category of "more than I wanted to know about penguins." But this kind of material gives a sense for the kind of problems that a working linguist faces, and the kinds of solutions obtained.

Some readers have complained that there are no solutions given for the homework problems posed. This is true; but in how many non-mathematical books have you seen ANY homework problems posed? I did not stop to do them, myself, but I imagine that a real effort spent on these exercises would pay off in deeper understanding. If the author is willing, I would imagine that there would be a market for a small addendum which would provide discussion of these exercises.

The discussion of "proto-World" is very interesting, as the author presents both the proposed picture of the descent of all languages and the general skepticism about it.

The book is written with a dry sense of humor, rare in a scholarly book.

This is not a quick read, but will repay the diligent reader.

A Fantastic Introductory Text
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical linguistics, even those with little background knowledge of the subject (although note that it does assume some basic background knowledge in rudimentary linguistic concepts like "phoneme," "syntax," or "nominative"). One of the largest benefits of the book, in my view, is the fact that Trask, who was one of the foremost experts on the Basque language, frequently uses examples from Basque to illustrate points, very useful additional perspective for those with a knowledge only of Indo-European languages. Trask still, however, uses plenty of examples from the Indo-European field, and does not neglect such famous topics as Grimm's Law or the English Vowel Shift. He provides numerous references for further and more in-depth reading for a given chapter's topic at the end of the chapter, and a brief description of each of these references.

He also, as mentioned by a previous reviewer, approaches the debate on alternatives to the comparative method much more even-handedly than some of his colleagues. Although he does dismiss Merritt Ruhlen's Proto-World proposals (offering a good deal of evidence in support), he nonetheless does his best to be more neutral for other controversies, such as the Nostratic hypothesis (the proposal linking the Indo-European, Altaic, Afro-Asiatic, Dravidian, and Caucasian language families [and sometimes others]). He even asks other linguists to approach the Nostratic hypothesis fairly and with an open mind. Although he ultimately takes a stance against most radical proposals of this type, he nonetheless gives them a much more balanced portrait, and gives enough opposing arguments to allow readers to draw their own conclusions, which, considering the controversies in the world of historical linguistics today, is particularly impressive.

Ultimately, the one significant problem, also touched on by other reviewers, is that the excercizes at the end of each chapter have no solutions, and for those who, like me, study linguistics on their own and not in an academic institution, it is often frustrating to not know if they are doing the problems "right" or not. ... Read more

Product Description
The importance and richness of the Arabic linguistic tradition is demonstrated by this book. Written by three experts in the field, it provides a survey of the historical constitution and theoretical structure of the Arabic linguistic tradition from its beginnings in the 8th century, to its mature state around the 14th and 15th centuries. Besides grammar, the book covers such fields as rhetoric, grammatical semantics, and methodological issues, and pays particular attention to the most representative works of the classical period. ... Read more

Product Description
An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, Second Edition provides a complete, authoritative and up-to-date overview of the state of the field. Each of the 15 chapters offers an extended survey of a central element of Applied Linguistics and is co-authored by two leading international specialists, thus ensuing a full and balanced treatment of the topic covered. The book is divided into three sections; a description of a language and language use; essential areas of enquiry; and the four skills and testing. An Introductory chapter familiarises readers wtih key issues and recurrent themes whilst hands-on activities and further reading sections for each chapter encourage practical analysis and wider reading. For this new edition, each chapter has been fully revised in line with new research and thinking in Applied Linguistics. With its accessible style, broad coverage and practical focus, this book is ideal for students of applied linguistics, TESOL, and second language pedagogy as well as practicing teachers and researchers wishing to update their knowledge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Quite late delivery!
It took ten days from I ordered this book to got it, since I ordered the 2-day delivery.

Coherent Introduction
An Introduction to Applied Linguistics is a valuable addition to its field as it devotes attention to multiple subfields and maintains a sophisticated tone for an introductory text.The book is geared primarily to readers and scholars outside the immediate realm of Applied Linguistics, yet linguistics knowledge is necessary to fully appreciate the contents.Norbert Schmitt has organized a collection of fifteen chapters subdivided into three sections: a description of language and language use, essential areas of enquiry in applied linguistics, and language skills and assessment.

Each chapter relates an expert consensus of its subfield, while allowing room for enquiry, interpretation and deduction.The chapters are co-authored by a total of 31 specialists, including some of the most renowned names in the field, such as Diane Larsen-Freeman (Grammar), Paul Nation (Vocabulary), and Patricia L. Carrell (Reading) to name a few.Each addresses general information with some current trends and key issues in the subfield.Some chapter titles, however, may be found misleading as they do not always reflect the whole of their contents.For example, "Speaking and Pronunciation," deals more with speaking and discourse rather than pronunciation.
The book begins with an introduction and an overview of the field by Schmitt and Marianne Celce-Murcia.The first section of each chapter introduces the topic, explaining and justifying its utility and place in applied linguistics.Often accompanying the introduction is brief insight on previous studies and literature, although some chapters, such as Corpus Linguistics, deal with new or budding subfields where little history is needed or available.Following the introduction of each chapter, the main principles and current trends of the topic are discussed.The language instructor will find the next segment of the chapter especially useful as pedagogical implications are discussed and suggested. This portion of the chapter highlights the concerns and reservations instructors may have in applying linguistics to the curriculum.It also provides suggestions and answers such questions as what should be used or observed in language instruction and how to employ various methodologies.Each chapter concludes with suggestions for further reading as well as a `Hands-on Activity.'This element of the chapter focuses on implementing the discussion of the chapter with data for the reader to interpret and analyze.At the end of the book are suggested solutions for these activities.Some chapters provide additional questions for research and investigation.Such attributes of the chapters and the book foster advanced interest to the reader in various subfields.

Most readers will find that the voice and style of the chapters and the book are heterogeneous, contributing to the attraction of the book.The chapters are, at the same time, well balanced and cross-reference each other where appropriate. The lessons and the insight provided through this work are perceptive in their general overview of each component of the discipline, easily understood by readers outside the particular study, yet respectful to the reader. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume provides an overview of four currently booming areas in the discipline of corpus linguistics. The first section is concerned with studies of the history and development of morphological and syntactic phenomena in English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. The second section contains case studies investigating the functions and contexts of use of different morphological and syntactic forms in English, Spanish, Russian, and Mandarin Chinese. The third section contains studies in the field of genre and register from settings as diverse as health, call center, academic, and legal discourse. The final section features papers refining existing, and exploring new, corpus-linguistic methods: dispersions, text mining, corpus similarity, as well as the development of extraction patterns and the evaluation of tagging methods. ... Read more

Product Description
Written by a team based at one of the world's leading centres for linguistic teaching and research, the second edition of this highly successful textbook offers a unified approach to language, viewed from a range of perspectives essential for students' understanding of the subject. Using clear explanations throughout, the book is divided into three main sections: sounds, words, and sentences. In each, the foundational concepts are introduced, along with their application to the fields of child language acquisition, psycholinguistics, language disorders, and sociolinguistics, giving the book a unique yet simple structure that helps students to engage with the subject more easily than other textbooks on the market. This edition includes a completely new section on sentence use, including an introduction and discussion of core areas of pragmatics and conversational analysis; new coverage of sociolinguistic topics, introducing communities of practice; a wealth of new exercise material and updated further reading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Not the best introduction
Has a really backwards explanation on page 131 paragraph 3: "...we have appealed to three types of criteria..." (here the 3 criteria are finally revealed!! after you have waded though several paragraphs with no way of knowing what the material was getting at in the first place!)

The book does have some great areas of excellent discussion, and it gives a small treatment of pragmatics at the end (Chap 27 Using Sentences).The material though does not seem to be at an introductory level.Though it is a hardbound book and does use high quality paper, one-hundred thirty dollars for this textbook is too much, given there are others that are better as introductions for far less money!

Written by and for True Believers
I own a dozen introductory linguistics textbooks, and this is my least favorite.Physically, the book is short and thick, with narrow margins, which makes it hard to read without breaking the spine. There are few exercises, and almost none include data from languages other than English.The bibliography slightly exceeds four pages.It is the only introductory textbook I have ever seenwithout a glossary.

The title is misleading.This book is really an introduction to Chomskyan generative grammar, not an introduction to linguistics.Students who read this book will be plunged into the world of empty categories, covert movement, Merge, and the Economy Principle; on the other hand, they will never encounter the terms spectrogram, ergative, pragmatics, or Indo-European. If that sounds like your idea of what an introduction to linguistics should be, then I suppose this is the book for you.

Response to watzizname's review
The review posted by watzizname slams this book on a few fronts, but the slams are unfounded.Watzizname may be a casual observer of linguistics, but he doesn't seem to know what is going on in the field presently.

For example, when referring to case, watzizname says that English no longer uses case, but is a positional language.This is true to some extent, but most contemporary theories of syntax use case as a crucial component, even when the case is not overtly marked (as in English).The Principles and Parameters model of syntax contains the "case filter," where all overt DPs (or Noun Phrases) must be case-marked at Surface Structure, else the sentence is ruled ungrammatical.In the more modern Minimalist Program, uninterpretable case must be "checked."These apply to even non-case languages like English, since they refer to abstract case, not morhpological or "inherent" case.Pronoun case markings are simply the most concrete way of explaining case in English, since we have few morphological reflexes left.

The other gripe of watzizname's was that Noun Prases are referred to as Determiner Phrases in the book.Watzizname clearly doesn't know where the theory is nowadays.Noun Phrases are now thought to be embedded withing DPs, with the determiner serving as sort of a 'fuctional shell,' even when there is no overt determiner in the phrase.These function just like the 'light verb' "v" serves as a functional shell for verb phrases and TP/IP/AgrP/CP serve as functional shells for clauses (preveiously termed "S").

So, please ignore watzizname's complaints about this book.What he is complaining about actually reflects some of the more recent developments in the fields of syntax and linguistics and should actually be considered PLUSSES for this book, not detractors.Most intro to linguistics textbooks show you where the field was 20 years ago.

A Decent Survey
I found this book to be a decent survey of Linguistics. It is written at a higher level, assuming the reader already knows a bit about language, which I appreciated, yet is not so complex you cannot follow it.Obviously a graduate level read.I recommend it for anyone who is brushing up on linguistics and already has a background in it.It is an overview with more depth than typical linguistics books.

A Decent Survey
I found this book to be a decent survey of Linguistics. It is written at a higher level, assuming the reader already knows a bit about language, which I appreciated, yet is not so complex you cannot follow it.Obviously a graduate level read.I recommend it for anyone who is brushing up on linguistics and already has a background in it.It is an overview with more depth than typical linguistics books. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a new kind of textbook for courses in introductory linguistics. It makes clear what is important or essential, and omits what is not. It is strictly selective, highly structured, focused, to-the-point and informative. It presents material in a way that mirrors the structure of a typical semester of teaching, and integrates many exercises into the text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great introductory text...
This was my textbook for an Intro to Linguistics course. Like the previous rater, I found it very clear & concise. There is a short review at the end of each chapter, followed by practice problems to help cement concepts into memory. I do wish it had a glossary, as my professor recommended purchasing the "Student's Dictionary of Language and Linguistics" for exactly that purpose. Overall, very useful text.

Best in a crowded field
Grover Hudson and Blackwell Publishers are to be congratulated for producing Essential Introductory Linguistics. Of the (too) numerous introductory texts on linguistics, Hudson's ranks number one. It is clear.It is concise and to-the-point. It has wonderful examples and usefulexercises from a wide range of languages, with an appropriate bias towardsEnglish based on its primary audience of English-speaking universitystudents.

One minor quibble: there is no glossary.

Overall: A ... Read more

Product Description
A general introduction to linguistics and the study of language, intended particularly for beginning students and readers with no previous knowledge or training in the subject. There is first a general account of the nature of language and of the aims, methods and basic principles of linguistic theory. John Lyons then introduces in turn each of the main sub-fields of linguistics: the sounds of language, grammar, semantics, language change, psycholinguistics: the sounds of language, grammar, semantics, language change, psycholinguistics, language and culture. Throughout the book he emphasizes particularly those aspects of the discipline that seem fundamental and most likely to remain important. He stresses throughout the cultural at least as much as the biological context of human language, and shows how the linguist's concerns connect productively with those of the traditional humanities and the social sciences. The book is designed to be used as an elementary textbook, and is therefore written at a lower level and is more comprehensive in scope than the author's classic Introduction to Theoretical Linguistics (Cambridge University Press, 1968). Each chapter has a wide-ranging set of discussion questions and revision exercises, and extensive suggestions for further reading. The exposition is marked throughout by the author's characteristic clarity, balance and authority. ... Read more

Product Description
Updated to reflect advances in the field, Black's guideexplains how linguistics helps in New Testament studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

good place to start
for those who have had little trianing in linguistics as regards to greek nt it is a good place to start

A couple quibbles
I'm a student of both modern and koine Greek, and approached this book with hope for some new insights into the language.

I still have hope.But I was brought up short by chapter 2, where Black discusses phonology.Something strange happens here.He begins giving descriptions, charts and diagrams for `the' sound of each Greek letter, all without offering any clue that their pronunciation has evolved during the history of this language. An unwary reader might conclude that there is, and has been, only one way to pronounce Greek.

Since the book is intended `for students of New Testament Greek', one could assume he is talking about the pronunciation of that period.But he is not, as we learn fifteen pages later.He has described the assumed classical Attic sounds, and now offers changes for the koine.

He also dismisses modern Greek pronunciation (which some, including Machen, consider closer to the koine than classical Attic), saying that it is "much more difficult for English-speaking students", a statement I consider highly debatable.

Black's sources for this chapter include nothing more recent than 1975; he does not mention Allen's Vox Graeca, for example, with its revised 1987 edition.

I have another quibble with Black's later discussion of modern Greek.He greatly exaggerates the current importance of katharevousa, stating that it is `standard for virtually all written communication' in Greece (p. 154).This was not true even at the time this book was first published (1988).Katharevousa has certainly left its mark on the language, but its use by the hated military junta (1967-1974) left it discredited, and dimotiki has been the official language of Greece since 1976.

On a positive note, I did appreciate Black's plug (see pp. 154-155) for the contribution that modern Greek can make in an understanding of the koine.Greek is a living language.I'm always amazed that so much study of koine is undertaken without a thought to the millions of people who still speak its close relative.

Fascinating
If you have any interest in understanding how language develops you should read this book.It's been fun to apply what I learned here as I listen to my four year-old daughter struggle with how to pronounce certain words and come up with the proper conjugations of irregular English verbs.Dr. Black makes an otherwise dry subject interesting.

Not bad (litotes--understatement)
Black invites the reader to apply the techniques of modern linguistics to the analysis of New Testament Greek. This excellent general introduction covers the phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and historical linguistics of koine Greek. It assumes no Greek or linguistics background.

I give the chapter headings and some subheadings:

1. Introducing Linguistics: The Landscape and the Quest
2. Phonology: The Sound of Greek (Phonetics and Phonemics)
3. Morphology: The Anatomy of Greek Words
4. Syntax: The Architecture of the Greek Sentence
5. Semantics: Determining Meaning (The real jewel in this work--Word and Concept, Semantic Classes, Ambiguity, Denotation/Connotation, Idioms, Rhetorical Language, Semantic Change, Discourse Analysis)
6. Historial and Comparative Linguistics: The Biography of Greek

In a Greek course I taught 2004/2005 based upon the Gospel of John (Beginning Greek: A Functional Approach) the class at one point wrestled with the disambiguation of a problematic participial phrase in John 1:9. ["He (Christ) was the true light that enlightens every man 'coming into the world.'"]. Should the phrase "coming into the word" go with "man" or "light"? Both are grammatically possible: the participle could be (1) accusative masculine singular or (2) nominative neuter singular. Do we use the proximity of "man" and "coming" to resolve the issue? Black explains (discourse analysis) that the larger context with its emphasis upon the incarnation of Christ (see 1:14) settles the issue (2). (However, this explanation is not altogether convincing. A comparison of similar statements by the same author (John) shows that he prefers the aorist, not [en] + participle. But such discussions would be beyond the scope of this work.)

Highly recommended. Although it covers a lot of ground, the explanations are short and to the point and examples abound. A delightful 172 pages that would lay a great foundation for someone contemplating linguistics as a major or who wants to conscientously apply a knowledge of koine to NT interpretation.

Greek Linguistics
For any serious NT Greek student, this book is very insightful to the many phonemic changes in the language. It is not a definitive book on lingustics, which the author himself claims, but, it does get you started in the area of linguistics that might give you some insight into the English language. Black writes in a way that doesn't overwhelm the student with his scholarship, which he definitely has, but he writes in a way that even someone who is a beginner in the study of the language can understand. I recommend it for any beginner or intermedeate student who would like to get a better handle on why some things change in the Greek language that may have confused you before. ... Read more

Product Description
Cognitive linguistics is a relatively new theory of language that challenges many of the basic assumptions of traditional approaches. Drawing on his long-standing interest in the relationship between language and perspective, Lee here sets out to make the theory accessible to readers who have no prior training in the discipline. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mission: Needless
Very concise and detailed overviews about cognitive linguistics. But we can obtain many other books that contain the outline of cognitive linguistics, so we don't need to dare to buy this book. Whether or not cognitive linguistics is a magnificient field of study, there are too many books that outlook it. We should explore more profound study of cognitive linguistics, I guess. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Interesting, thought provoking book
First, I agree with the reviewers about this not being a beginner's book.You would probably get more out of reading a different hypontism book first.

NLP is a somewhat controversial approach to hypnotherapy. The version presented in this book is not really a science so much as an art, which requires deep personal experience and understanding to make work.For this reason it will always be on the fringes of psychotherapy.This book is one of the classic books about NLP and therefore should be read critically by anyone interested in it or related topics (including how the brain processes language).

I found the book to crystalize what I had learned from life experience and by watching others.Given that experience I think I got a lot out of the book, perhaps more than the authors intended.However I can understand how others might take wrong turns trying to see this as some sort of short-cut (when it is really a power tool).Having said this, I think if folks read the book critically, it will lead to greater insight.

I wasn't sure about all aspects of the book.For example, while I understand the idea of symptom substitution as a possible good, I found the examples in the book to be questionable in the long run (while they might be good for transitional measures, they seem to help rob an individual of the need to address some circumstances directly).

All in all, though, a very thought-provoking book and worth reading.

Just what I was looking for!
I did some NLP Practitioner training hosted by the ubiquitous Paul McKennna, Michael Breen, and the legend Richard Bandler himself many years ago.We were given workbooks, but nothing really compares to the information they imparted verbally, and given the seminar format there was a lot of that.Though this book isn't a transcript of that particular course much of the content of it is covered in this book, along with much more.This is a riveting and insightful read, and I was very happy to discover this rare book and it's one I don't think I'll be lending to a soul!Bandler and Grinder are geniuses of language, and what is great about this book is it feels like they are almost 'talking to you' given it's transcript nature.I also love the natural infusions of humour - Bandler is a very compelling (and funny) man, which is something I can say having met him personally.Perhaps one good thing would have been some indication of who was speaking at various times, as the seminar was given by both Bandler and John Grinder, NLP's co-founders.That said, not knowing who is speaking doesn't in any way detract from the experience.

A Must Have
This is one little book that helps create great hypnotists.Very easy to understand and is a fun read at the same time.Out of print but worth every cent you will spend on it. Written, of course, as only Richard can write with instruction and great humor. Learn from one of the original tranceweavers.

Unreadable
Okay, I know Bandler and Grinder are the originators of NLP, but they can't write readable copy to save their lives. Unless you are a true NLP geek, don't waste your money on this unless you want to spend your time scratching your head saying "Is there something I'm missing here?" There are NLP books that are practical and helpful and can even be used by therapists. This is not one of them. I'm sure in person their classes are excellent and I am grateful for their contribution, but not for this book.

OUTSTANDING CLASSIC!
Most people do not realize that the contents of this book were taken from transcripts of several live seminars on "Ericksonian-style" indirect Hypnosis conducted by Richard Bandler and John Grinder.The book reads as though you are sitting in the front row and witnessing Bandler and Grinder reveal to you exactly how to do indirect hypnosis, complete with demonstrations of each technique.Since they have not taught together in many years, this is as close to attending a live Bandler and Grinder training as you will come.This book is loaded with insights, tips, techniques - and a great deal of CLEAR and STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTION.If you want to learn HOW TO DO indirect hypnosis, you are going to get a great deal out of this book.It is a MASTERPIECE taught by two brilliant hypnotists and trainers who are legends in the fields of NLP and Hypnosis.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ... Read more

Product Description
This book explores the driving forces behind the current government-sponsored resurrection of phonics, and the arguments used to justify it. It examines the roles played by three key actors--corporate America, politicians, and state-supported reading researchers--in the formulation of what Strauss terms the neophonics political program. Essential for researchers, students, and teachers of literacy and reading, and for anyone seeking to understand what is happening in U.S. public schools today, The Linguistics, Neurology, and Politics of Phonics: Silent "E" Speaks Out:
*analyzes the political nature of the alleged literacy crisis in the United States, through an investigation of the political and corporate motives behind the renewed focus on phonics, and media complicity in promoting the neophonics political program as the solution to the so-called crisis;
*examines the scientific claims of neophonics, including methodology, linguistics, and neuroscience, and exposes the flaws in its reasoning and the weakness of its arguments;
*addresses the scientific, empirical investigation of letter-sound relationships in English (of phonics itself), and demonstrates the complexity of the system and its associated benefits and limitations in the theory and practice of reading;
*proposes actions to help make a return to politically undistorted science and to democratic classrooms a reality; and
*introduces, in a postscript, a formal analysis of the letter-sound system, using empirically based rules to convert one finite set of elements, the alphabet, into another, the phonemes of the spoken language.

Offering up-to-date information and an original critique, this book makes two important contributions. One is the policy analysis linking government agencies, policymakers, and corporate interests. The second is the neurological and linguistic treatment of why traditional phonics programs are not the solution and why the rhetoric developed to support their resurgence is so far off the mark. ... Read more

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Covering thinkers from Aristotle to Saussure and Chomsky, "Introducing Linguistics" reveals the rules and beauty that underlie language, our most human skill. ... Read more

Product Description
Linguistics is the discipline which studies the structure and functions of both individual languages and the phenomena of language itself. In spite of early efforts by ancient and medieval scholars, most of our progress in understanding language has come only within the last century. ... Read more

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An elementary introduction to formal logic, particularly intended for linguists and others interested in languages. Concepts and theories developed within formal logic for the study of artificial languages have for some time been fruitfully applied to the study of natural languages and some knowledge of them is now necessary for students of linguists (especially semantics). With this need in mind the authors offer a clear, succinct and basic introduction to set theory, inference, propositional and predicate logic, deduction, modal and intensional logic, and various recent extensions of these. There is a discussion too of the relation between linguistics and logical analysis and between logic and natural language. The authors see increasing scope for cooperation between logicians and linguistics in studying the structure of language, and it is the overall aim of the book to promote this cooperation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great and really focused book on Logic in Linguistics
"Logic in linguistics" is a very detailed book about the use of logic signs and on the theme logic in itself. It's not a great bookfor making an overview about the subject however it's wonderful when you want to go further into subject!
(I apologize if my English isn't correct but I'm Danish and not trained in written English) ... Read more

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A Linguistics Workbook is a supplement to Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communications, fifth edition. It can also be used with other introductory and intermediate linguistics texts. Whereas most of the examples in Linguistics are based on English, the workbook provides exercises in the major areas of linguistics (for example, syntax and morphology) drawn from a wide variety of languages. This edition includes new exercises, as well as refinements to some of the original ones. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A good partner of a course of linguistics
I love linguistics and I knew this book for a long time. This book can't be found in China easily. After I read it I understood the reason. The exercise book is so useful but doesn't have much content. A quite big part of it is white paper. Hehe, in general, I like it.

Highly Recommended!
"A Linguistics Wrokbook" is a very well-organized workbook for students of linguistics to DO linguistics. It provided sufficient exercises based on a wide variety of the world's languages. The third edition has more exercises on phonetics and syntax. Also, a lot of exercises are revised and carefully edited. I own a previous version of thid workbook, but I think it's worthwhile to buy the third edition. By doing all the exercises in the books, I learned more about languages. I not only know the way/attitude ofsolving linguistics problems, but also enjoy the process of knowing more about languages.

If you want to try how interesting linguistics is, this book is highly recommanded! ... Read more