anyone recommend an idiots guide to linguistics please

surfsister

hiya can anyone out there recommend an idiots guide to linguistics please?

i am doing an eng lit course and have to do a linguistics unit which i really cannot get to grips with. the main problem is the textbook seems to be written in gobbledegook!!


It uses lots of long linguistic words without definitions and i am kinda lost.

I'm sure a good book or/and website will help me.

thanks guys

MrsManda

Have you tried Linguistics: a very short introduction?
It's written by P. H. Matthews and published by Oxford University Press - about £7.99 but usually there's a 3 for 2 offer on VSI books if you want anything else.
I've never studied linguistics so not sure how good it'll be but I used the ones for Memory, Game Theory and Autism last year for my studies and found them really useful to help me get to grips with the basics of these subjects

Adro

You could try 'Introducing Language in Use: A Course Book' by Bloomer, Griffiths, and Merrison. The book looks at both linguistics and sociolinguistics. They use fairly common terms and explain everything.

I've used it as a reference for the last couple of years.

It should cost you around £10-12.

surfsister

Thanks guys I will try them. VSI were the ones I was trying to find!