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The Study of Language
Designed for beginners, this best-selling textbook provides a lively introduction to the study of language. Starting from the basics, it provides a solid foundation in all of the essential topics, and introduces the analysis of the key elements of language – sounds, words, structures and meanings. A wide range of fascinating questionsare explored, such as how conversation works, how children learn language, why women and men speak differently, and how language varies between regions and social groups. This third edition has been extensively revised to include new sections on important contemporary issues in language study, including language and culture, African American English, gestures and slang. A comprehensive glossaryprovides useful explanations of technical terms, and each chapter contains a range of new study questions and research tasks, with suggested answers. Unrivalled in its popularity, The Study of Language is quite simply the best introduction to the field available today.          has taught Linguistics at the Universities of Edinburgh, Hawai’i, Louisiana State and Minnesota. He is the authorof Discourse Analysis (with Gillian Brown, 1983), Teaching the Spoken Language (with Gillian Brown, 1983), Pragmatics (1996) and Explaining English Grammar (1998).

The Study of Language
THIRD EDITION

GEORGE YULE

cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UKPublished in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521835572 © George Yule 2006 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of CambridgeUniversity Press. First published in print format 2005 isbn-13 isbn-10 isbn-13 isbn-10 isbn-13 isbn-10 978-0-511-13493-7 eBook (EBL) 0-511-13493-2 eBook (EBL) 978-0-521-83557-2 hardback 0-521-83557-7 hardback 978-0-521-54320-0 paperback 0-521-54320-7 paperback

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Contents

Preface

page ix

The origins of language
The divine source; The natural sound source; The physical adaptation source; Teeth, lips, mouth, larynx and pharynx; The human brain; The genetic source; Study questions; Research tasks; Discussiontopics/projects; Further reading

1

Animals and human language
Communicative and informative signals; Displacement; Arbitrariness; Productivity; Cultural transmission; Duality; Talking to animals; Chimpanzees and language; Washoe; Sarah and Lana; The controversy; Kanzi; The barest rudiments of language; Study questions; Research tasks; Discussion topics/projects; Further reading

8

The developmentof writing
Pictograms and ideograms; Logograms; Rebus writing; Syllabic writing; Alphabetic writing; Written English; Study questions; Research tasks; Discussion topics/projects; Further reading

20

The sounds of language
Phonetics; Voiced and voiceless sounds; Place of articulation; Bilabials; Labiodentals; Dentals; Alveolars; Palatals; Velars; Glottals; Charting consonant sounds;Limitations of the chart; Manner of articulation; Stops; Fricatives; Affricates; Nasals; Liquids; Glides; The glottal stop and the flap; Vowels; Diphthongs; Subtle individual variation; Study questions; Research tasks; Discussion topics/projects; Further reading

29

The sound patterns of language
Phonology; Phonemes; Phones and allophones; Minimal pairs and sets; Phonotactics; Syllables and...