Linguistics: A Complete Introduction

by David Hornsby

Written by David Hornsby, who is a current Linguistics lecturer and researcher at the University of Kent, Linguistics: A Complete Introduction is designed to give you everything you need to succeed, all in one place. It covers the key areas that students are expected to be confident in, outlining the basics in clear jargon-free English, and then providing added value features like summaries of key books, and even lists of questions you might be asked in your seminar or exam. The book uses a structure that mirrors many university courses on linguistics - with separate chapters focusing on linguistic thought, syntax, sound systems, morphology, semantics, pragmatics, language acquisition, and much more.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, Language, Reference

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Nicole]

This was a highly organized, informative, and detailed introduction to linguistics, and much of it was overwhelming to me. I should have followed the author's advice in the preface and fished around for more topical and translatable chapters. Still, I think what I gleaned from my first dive into linguistics from this edition will help carry me into my first linguistics class.

[Megan]

A good reference book as an introduction to linguistics

[William Schram]

A fascinating entry into the field of Linguistics. David Hornsby examines the history of the field and how it developed over time into the way it is now.

For instance, Linguistics holds the spoken word over the written word because spelling conventions take such a long time to catch up.

The book is intended as a companion book while taking a course, but I bought it to satisfy my curiosity.

I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Jess ~]

I don't think someone who isn't already familiar with linguistics would enjoy this, as some parts are rather technical.

However, as someone who already has a degree in the subject and who just wanted a refresher, this was a nice & informative read. I do wish there were more syntax trees.

[Art Lukas]

Loses steam after exciting start

The first chapters are very interesting with many examples. However the second half of the book is an illustration of how to talk about simple things in a most complicated (and apparently impractical) way

[Kirsten]

4,5 stars

[Marcus Holmes]

I found this author's writing to be well-organized, thorough, and clear. I'm in America, and the author is British, so it was also interesting to read from his perspective.

[Matthew Blokzyl]

Great beginners text

I liked this textbook. The structured style made for quick reading. The examples throughout the text added variety and further enhanced my enjoyment

[Lee Brownfield]

Well written and easy to digest.

[Nellie]

Not very user friendly. I enjoyed the last chapters, and wanted the information it held, but it felt more like a college essay than a Teach Yourself Book.