ContentsUnit One 1
Text：The Nature of LinguisticsS.R*：The Study of LanguageUnit Two 15
Text：The Origin of LanguageS.R.：The Origin of the First LanguageUnit Three 30
Text: The Definition of LanguageS.R.: A Definition of LanguageUnit Four 45
Text：The History of LinguisticsS.R.: History of LinguisticsUnit Five 59
Text：The History of EnglishS.R.：The Importance of Knowing the Historyof EnglishUnit Six 73
Text：Three Major GrammarsS.R.：Summaries of Three MajorGrammars*S.R.—Supplementary ReadingUnit Seven 91
Text：The Machenism of SpeeehS.R.：PhoneticsUnit Eight 106
Text：English Vowels and TheirClassificationS.R.：More than VowelsUnit Nine 123
Text：English Consonants and TheirClassificationS.R.：Manners of ArticulationUnit Ten 135
Text：Distinctive SoundsS.R.：PhonologyUnit Eleven 146
Text：Morphology：The Words ofLanguageS.R.：MorphologyUnit Twelve 160
Text：Three Approaches to Syntax(Ⅰ)S.R.：Grammar and Syntax(Ⅰ)Unit Thirteen 173
Text：Three Approaches to Syntax(Ⅱ)S.R.：Grammar and Syntax(Ⅱ)Unit Fourteen 185
Text：SemanticsS.R.：Definitions of SemanticsUnit Fifteen 198
Text：Human Communication：ThreeSystemsS.R.：A Glance at Some OtherCommunication SystemsUnit Sixteen 210
Text：SignsS.R.：What is Meaning?Unit Seventeen 223
Text：The Basic Functions of LanguageS.R.：Speech FunctionsUnit Eighteen 242
Text：Style as ChoiceS.R.：What is Style?Appendix Ⅰ：Linguists 260
Appendix Ⅱ：Glossary 271