Edinburgh Textbooks on the English Language

A linguistic introduction to the structures and meanings of English words

• Covers orthography, synonyms, hyponyms, figurative language, semantic analysis, loan words and dictionaries
• Considers the history and morphological structure of English and the influence of borrowing from French, Latin and Greek
• Includes examples, exercises and discussion questions in each chapter
• Includes a glossary of key terms and suggestions for further reading

Lexicology is about words, their meanings and the relationships between them, their origins and their structure. It combines the study of derivational morphology with lexical semantics.

This textbook explores the history, meanings and structure of words, the way they are collected in dictionaries and the way they are stored in our minds. It goes beyond examining the morphological structure of words to examine the way words are spelt and the way they sound. At every stage, the book focuses not only on description, but also on the puzzles that words present. Supported by numerous examples, exercises, discussion questions, suggestions for further reading and a glossary, this is an accessible and lively guide to the linguistic study of English through the consideration of words.

A student’s introduction to the sounds of English

• Ten discrete chapters map on to an introductory course on English phonology
• Expanded coverage of different accents and varieties of modern World Englishes
• New coverage of intonation
• Theory-neutral and clear explanation of concepts central to the practice of phonology
• New exercises, discussion questions and a glossary
• Over 80 diagrams and examples clearly demonstrate key concepts, data and ideas

This textbook introduces the main units and concepts you require to describe speech sounds accurately. By working through the book and the various exercises included, you will come to understand the need for a dedicated system of description and transcription for speech sounds, and for a degree of phonological abstraction to support our understanding of the behaviour of sounds in particular languages and varieties. You will learn to carry out elementary, broad phonetic transcription, and be able to establish contrastive vowel and consonant systems for your own varieties and to express simple generalisations reflecting the productive and predictable patterns of English sounds. At the end of the book there is a section guiding you through some of the exercises and there is also a detailed glossary which will be useful for assignments or revision during exams.

Bestselling introduction to English morphology, now revised and updated

What exactly are words? Are they the things that get listed in dictionaries, or are they the basic units of sentence structure? Andrew Carstairs-McCarthy explores the implications of these different approaches to words in English. He explains the various ways in which words are related to one another, and shows how the history of the English language has affected word structure.

Topics include: words, sentences and dictionaries; a word and its parts (roots and affixes); a word and its forms (inflection); a word and its relatives (derivation); compound words; word structure; productivity; and the historical sources of English word formation.

Requiring no prior linguistic training, this textbook is suitable for undergraduate students of English - literature or language - and provides a sound basis for further linguistic study.

The second edition features

• updated exercises throughout, with answers and discussion
• fully updated recommendations for further reading
• refreshed examples and references
• a completely new introduction and glossary

An introduction to the phonetic description of spoken English

The second edition of this distinguished textbook introduces undergraduates to the concepts, terminology and representations needed for an understanding of how English is pronounced around the world.

Assuming no prior knowledge, it guides the reader through the vocal tract and explains how the sounds of speech are made, offering an accessible and expanded introduction to areas including transcription, vowels and acoustic analysis. As far as possible, it uses naturally-occurring conversational speech so that readers are familiar with the details of everyday talk (and not just the careful pronunciations presented in dictionaries.) The book also includes a new concluding chapter that works through a piece of spoken data to show the reader how a more complete phonetic analysis can be conducted.

Examples are taken from around the English-speaking world, including North America, Australia, New Zealand and varieties of British English. The book takes an open-minded approach to what sounds of English might be significant for making meaning, and highlights the significance of word meaning, morphology, sociolinguistics and conversational interaction in phonetic analysis.

Key features

• Assumes no prior knowledge of phonetics
• Focuses on phonetics as a skill and encourages the reader to reflect on own speech
• Covers a range of forms of phonetic representation
• Each chapter contains a summary, exercises and further reading
• Expanded, accessible coverage in the areas of transcription and vowels
• Includes a new chapter on Sound and Structures which works through a piece of spoken data to show how a more complete phonetic analysis can be conducted
• See the Resources tab (below) for an audio example

A classic introduction to the study of meaning, revitalised for a new generation of linguists

Ideal for undergraduate students exploring English linguistics for the first time, the new edition of this successful textbook is compact and self-contained, offering:

• Expanded coverage of topic areas such as figurative language, compositional meaning and quantification
• Up-to-date, real-life examples drawn from a wide range of sources to clearly illustrate key concepts, such as how speakers use novel metaphors and metonyms
• Additional exercises to further reinforce and develop key concepts
• Thorough signposting to contemporary research publications in semantics and pragmatics

This clear and accessible textbook introduces the crucial concepts essential to your study of the semantics and pragmatics of English. Coverage is wide-ranging, taking you from word meaning to the level of discourse, and explaining how these topics are treated in contemporary linguistic research. Chapters cover adjective, noun and verb meanings, situation types, figurative language, tense, aspect, modality, quantification, topic and focus. Explanations of entailment, compositionality and scope provide a foundation for subsequent study of formal semantics.Supported by chapter summaries and with plenty of usage examples, exercises and discussion questions, you will not only gain a systematic overview of meaning in English but be equipped with the tools to argue for specific analyses as well.

A student's introduction to the first centuries in the history of the English language

The first edition of ‘An Introduction to Old English’ was written by Richard Hogg. The second edition has been revised by Rhona Alcorn.

Combining a wide variety of short texts with a coherent and up-to-date assessment of the forms of language which remain as the foundation of English today, this introduction offers a unique study of Old English in context. It is designed for students unfamiliar with the earliest stages of the English language and provides a basis for further study of the history of the language to the present day.

All the basic elements of Old English are covered, including nouns, adjectives, verbs, syntax, word order, vocabulary and sound values. Wherever possible comparisons are drawn between Old English and the present-day language, but also with other related languages such as Dutch, German and French. There are also chapters introducing Old English poetry and dialect variation, as well as a chapter looking at what happened to the language after the Norman Conquest.

Key Features

• Up-to-date account of the linguistics of the Old English period with particular stress on syntax and vocabulary
• Integrates accounts of the language with selected texts graded to improve accessibility for the beginner
• Strong emphasis on the relation between Old English and present-day English together with relevant features in related languages
• Contains exercises, a glossary of key terms and an Old English glossary

Are the dialects of England disappearing in the wake of globalisation and 'Estuary English', or are geographical differences as strong as ever? Joan Beal looks at recent research into regional variation in England, discusses the evidence for 'dialect levelling' and argues that, despite this, features of dialect are still clear markers of regional and local identity.

Chapters outlining the main regional differences in accent, dialect grammar and dialect vocabulary are followed by discussions of research into geographical diffusion, levelling, issues of identity and stereotypes. Each chapter is accompanied by either an exercise based on data provided, a data-gathering exercise using methodological tools provided, or an extract from a media article provided to provoke discussion. The book also includes a guide to resources available for the study of regional dialects in England.

Key Features

• An up-to-date account of research into regional variation in England
• A practical, 'hands on' approach, providing the reader with the methods and resources to carry out research projects
• Includes exercises for use in class.

This textbook, aimed primarily at beginning undergraduates studying for degrees in English, provides an introduction to a range of sociolinguistic theories and the insights they provide for a greater understanding of varieties of English, past and present. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative approaches to sociolinguistic variation, the book provides a systematic overview of such topics as:

• 'English' as a social and as a linguistic concept
• The relationship between regional and social dialectology, and their application to the study of English
• English historical sociolinguistics, from Old English to late Modern English
• Sociolinguistics and change in English
• Outcomes of contact involving varieties of English
• English and language planning
• English, sociolinguistics and linguistic theory.

The book contains data drawn from studies of English as it is used around the world. Throughout, there is an emphasis on facilitating a deeper understanding of linguistic variation in English and the social, political and cultural contexts in which speakers and writers of English operate.

Edinburgh Textbooks on the English Language Series Page

Some twenty years ago it was widely believed that nothing much happened to the English language since the beginning of the eighteenth century. Recent research has shown that this is far from true, and this book offers an introduction to a period that forms the tail end of the standardisation process (codification and prescription), during which important social changes such as the Industrial Revolution are reflected in the language. Late Modern English is currently receiving a lot of scholarly attention, mainly as a result of new developments in sociohistorical linguistics and corpus linguistics. By drawing on such research the present book offers a much fuller account of the language of the period than was previously possible. It is designed for students and beginning scholars interested in Late Modern English.

The volume includes:

• a basis in recent research by which sociolinguistic models are applied to earlier stages of the language (1700-1900)
• a focus on people as speakers (wherever possible) and writers of English
• research questions aimed at acquiring skills at working with important electronic research tools such as Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), the Oxford English Dictionary and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• reference to electronically available texts and databases such as Martha Ballard's Diary, the Proceedings of the Old Bailey and Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.

"

REVIEW FROM PREVIOUS EDITION: 'A slim and useful student textbook for English Syntax. Although most of the examples are from English, the book introduces general concepts which provide the necessary tools for a basic syntactic analysis of any language. The book concentrates on topics that will remain useful to the student who does not go on to study linguistics but, say, literature or EFL teaching.' - The Year's Work in English Studies

In this revised and fully updated new edition of his popular textbook, Jim Miller discusses the central concepts of syntax which are applied in a wide range of university courses, in business communication, in teaching and in speech therapy. The book deals with concepts which are central to traditional grammar but have been greatly refined over the past forty years: parts of speech and how to recognise them, constructions and their interrelationships, subordinate clauses and how to recognise the different types, subjects and objects, Agents and Patients and other roles. The book draws out the connections between syntax and meaning and between syntax and discourse; in particular, a new chapter focuses on the analysis of discourse and the final chapter deals with tense, aspect and voice, topics which are central to the construction of texts and are of major importance in second language learning. They are also areas where meaning and grammar interconnect very closely.

Key Features

• Coverage of central themes with a wide application outside the study of syntax
• Explains basic concepts, supported by a glossary of technical terms
• Exercises and sources for further reading provided.

An introduction to Early Modern English, this book helps students of English and linguistics to place the language of the period 1500-1700 in its historical context as a language with a common core but also as one which varies across time, regionally and socially, and according to register. The volume focuses on the structure of what contemporaries called the General Dialect - its spelling, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation - and on its dialectal origins. The book also discusses the language situation and linguistic anxieties in England at a time when Latin exerted a strong influence on the rising standard language.

The volume includes:

• The major changes in English from the 15th to the 18th century
• Emphasis on long-term linguistic developments
• Sources for the study of Early Modern English
• Illustrations ranging from drama and personal letters to trials and early science
• Exercises encouraging further exploration of the changing English language.

"

An Introduction to Middle English is designed to provide undergraduate students of English historical linguistics with a concise description of the language during the period 1100-1500. Middle English, the language of Chaucer, is discussed in relation to both earlier and later stages in the history of English, and in relation to other languages with which it came into contact.

Key Features

• presents the historical and geographical contexts of Middle English
• examines the evidence for Middle English;
• introduces the principal features of Middle English spelling, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary
• includes an introduction to Middle English textual studies; selected Middle English texts, both literary and non-literary; notes, glossaries and annotated bibliographies; and questions for review.

Most other introductory books on Middle English focus on literary rather than linguistic matters; this book is designed to redress the balance, by providing students of English language with an up-to-date, authoritative survey which takes account of recent trends in historical linguistics.

"

This book looks at native speaker varieties of English, considering how and why they differ in terms of their pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and spelling. It shows how the major national varieties of English have developed, why similar causes have given rise to different effects in different parts of the world, and how the same problems of description arise in relation to all 'colonial' Englishes.

It covers varieties of English spoken in Britain, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Falkland Islands.

Key Features

• Introductory text, presupposes a minimum of previous knowledge
• Focuses on common traits rather than on individual varieties
• Informed by latest research on dialect mixing
• Exercises included with each chapter
• References for further reading in each chapter