I read or listened to some books on learning languages that a friend of mine recommended:
SteveKaufmann - The Way of the Linguist A Language Learning Odyssey
Michael Erard - Babel No More
Benny Lewis - Fluent in 3 Months How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World
Kato Lomb - Polyglot How I Learn Languages
All of them were useful to improve my English, but I didn't learn too much about learning languages.
All of them can be summerized in one sentence: 'You can do it.'
Are there any simple books on linguistics, with audio if possible, so that I can learn what it actually means to know a language?
Books on linguistics in English?
- aokoye
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Re: Books on linguistics in English?
You're talking about a few of broad things, "what it means to know a language" and "books on learning languages" and I'm not totally clear what exactly you want. Are you looking for [first] language acquisition, second language acquisition, language development (which shouldn't be confused with historical linguistics), an overview of linguistics...?
Either way the books that you listed are not ones that I would suggest for learning about things like first and second language acquisition or linguistics in general. Routledge and Cambridge have published a number of good books including a number of introductions.
Language in the Real World: An Introduction to Linguistics - Susan J. Behrens and Judith A. Parker
Applied Linguistics - Guy Cook
Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics - Vedrana Mihalicek and Christin Wilson
Introducing Second Language Acquisition - Muriel Saville-Troike
Understanding Second Language Acquisition - Lourdes Ortega
How Languages are Learned - Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada
Cambridge Handbook of Child Language - Edith L. Bavin
First and Second Language Acquisition: Parallels and Differences - Jürgen M. Meisel
Either way the books that you listed are not ones that I would suggest for learning about things like first and second language acquisition or linguistics in general. Routledge and Cambridge have published a number of good books including a number of introductions.
Language in the Real World: An Introduction to Linguistics - Susan J. Behrens and Judith A. Parker
Applied Linguistics - Guy Cook
Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics - Vedrana Mihalicek and Christin Wilson
Introducing Second Language Acquisition - Muriel Saville-Troike
Understanding Second Language Acquisition - Lourdes Ortega
How Languages are Learned - Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada
Cambridge Handbook of Child Language - Edith L. Bavin
First and Second Language Acquisition: Parallels and Differences - Jürgen M. Meisel
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Re: Books on linguistics in English?
Personally, my favorite introductory linguistics book is the late Dr. Fromkin's: An Introduction to Language.
However, I don't think that's what you're looking for. I feel you're looking for the books on the study of languages, which is something different than linguistics, which is the study of language, as a system. While I believe certain parts of linguistics can help you learn foreign languages better (IPA being a nice perk), the two aren't considered the same in most contexts.
However, I don't think that's what you're looking for. I feel you're looking for the books on the study of languages, which is something different than linguistics, which is the study of language, as a system. While I believe certain parts of linguistics can help you learn foreign languages better (IPA being a nice perk), the two aren't considered the same in most contexts.
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Re: Books on linguistics in English?
aokoye wrote:You're talking about a few of broad things, "what it means to know a language" and "books on learning languages"
Sorry, I didn't make myself clear enough.
I was asking about boooks on introductory linguistics, as I'd like to find out what it means to know languages.
As to 'how to learn languages', it's up to you how you to it, I've already figuered that out. The methods various people discribe are usually incomplete, contradictory, and limited to pep talk.
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Re: Books on linguistics in English?
I had a look at a dozen introductory books and chose these two:
Geofrey Finch - How to study linguistics
Published by Palgrave Macmillian
An Introduction to Language,
Tenth Edition
Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams
© 2014, 2011, 2007 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
My criteria were
How much English in them I understand
How thorough they are
I seem good enough for them.
Geofrey Finch - How to study linguistics
Published by Palgrave Macmillian
An Introduction to Language,
Tenth Edition
Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams
© 2014, 2011, 2007 Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
My criteria were
How much English in them I understand
How thorough they are
I seem good enough for them.
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- daegga
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Re: Books on linguistics in English?
It sounds like "Psycholinguistics" is what you want to look for to answer the question "what it means to know languages". That's still a pretty broad field.
You might want to check out this PDF with screenshots of the table of contents of various introductory books in that area. One can infer the content and style of presentation to a certain degree from the headings.
But beware the publishing dates (you see them on the last pages).
You might want to check out this PDF with screenshots of the table of contents of various introductory books in that area. One can infer the content and style of presentation to a certain degree from the headings.
But beware the publishing dates (you see them on the last pages).
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jag nöjer mig med tystnad
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Re: Books on linguistics in English?
Thanks for the pdf.
I've already listened to 'The Language Instinct' by Steven Pinker before.
I wasn't clear enough what I wanted. Sorry. Doesn't matter any longer. I've already found everything I needed for the time being.
Thank you.
I've already listened to 'The Language Instinct' by Steven Pinker before.
I wasn't clear enough what I wanted. Sorry. Doesn't matter any longer. I've already found everything I needed for the time being.
Thank you.
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- AlexTG
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Re: Books on linguistics in English?
Since you were also interested in audio, you might want to check out Foundations of Language Study which is a free audio course (annoyingly, you'll need to use itunes to download it ).
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