Chapter 1 Language and Linguistics 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 History of Linguistics 2
1.3 Why Study Linguistics? 3
1.4 Properties of Language 4
1.5 Body Language and Other"Languages" 9
1.6 Functions of Language 10
1.7 Branches in Linguistics 11
1.8 FAQ about Studying Linguistics 12
1.9 Summary 14
Chapter 2 Phonetics:Speech Sounds 17
2.1 Introduction 17
2.2 Spelling,Pronunciation and Phonetic Transcription 18
2.3 Speech Organs 21
2.4 The Phonetic Properties of Speech Sounds 24
2.5 Vowels 32
2.6 Summary 36
Chapter 3 Phonology:Sound Patterns 39
3.1 Introduction 39
3.2 The Distinctive Sounds of a Language 41
3.3 Beyond the Sound Segments 50
3.4 Summary 57
Chapter 4 Lexicon 61
4.1 Introduction 61
4.2 What is Word? 62
4.3 Classification of Words 64
4.4 Morpheme and Its Types 67
4.5 Word-formation 71
4.6 Summary 83
Chapter 5 Grammar:Clause 87
5.1 Introduction 87
5.2 Word Classes and Word Order 88
5.3 Clause Types 93
5.4 Grammatical Categories 95
5.5 "Half-clauses" 99
5.6 Semantic Roles of Clause Elements 101
5.7 How Do We Play with Clauses? 103
5.8 Summary 108
Chapter 6 Grammar and Text 112
6.1 Introduction 112
6.2 Theme and Textual Function 113
6.3 Information Structure 117
6.4 Cohesion 120
6.5 Conversation Analysis 127
6.6 Summary 128
Chapter 7 Meaning 131
7.1 What Is Meaning? 131
7.2 Word Meaning 132
7.3 How Are Word Meanings Related? 135
7.4 How Is Word Meaning Analyzed? 143
7.5 Sentence Meaning 146
7.6 Context and Implicature 149
7.7 Summary 155
Chapter 8 The Writing System 159
8.1 Introduction 159
8.2 The History of Writing 160
8.3 The Writing System 168
8.4 The Innovation and Reformation of Writing System 171
8.5 Chinese Characters 173
8.6 The Importance of Writing 177
8.7 Summary 178
Chapter 9 Language Change 181
9.1 Introduction 181
9.2 Language Change in Various Aspects 182
9.3 Causes of Lexical Change 192
9.4 Summary 199
Chapter 10 Varieties and Variation 202
10.1 Introduction 202
10.2 Dialects and Standard Varieties 202
10.3 Variation According to Use—Register and Genre 208
10.4 Summary 216
Key to Questions and Exercises 220
Bibliography 235
Glossary and Index 240