Exploring Language Structure

Description:
Designed for those beginning to study linguistics, this is a lively introduction to two key aspects of the structure of language: syntax (the structure of sentences) and morphology (the structure of words). It shows students in a step-by-step fashion how to analyze the syntax and morphology of any language, by clearly describing the basic methods and techniques, and providing almost 100 practical exercises based on data from a rich variety of the world's languages. Written in an engaging style and complete with a comprehensive glossary, Exploring Language Structure explains linguistic concepts by using clear analogies from everyday life. It introduces a range of essential topics in syntax and morphology, such as rules, categories, word classes, grammatical relations, multi-clause constructions and typology. Providing a solid foundation in morphology and syntax, this is the perfect introductory text for beginning students, and will fully prepare them for more advanced courses in linguistic analysis.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction to morphology and syntax; 2. Morphological processes and conceptual categories; 3. Morphophonemics; 4. Word classes; 5. Exploring sub-classes; 6. Constituent structure; 7. Language typology; 8. Grammatical relations; 9. Voice and valence; 10. Multi-clause constructions.

Author Biography:
Thomas E. Payne is Research Associate in the Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon, and International Linguistics Consultant at SIL International.