Customer Reviews

Linguistics (Oxford Introductions to Language Study)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was pretty disappointed with this book. Despite calling itself an introduction, it was a very heavy going read - even for someone like me with 6 years experience in TESOL. Widdowson's style is to define the main areas of enquiry very briefly and then call on the reader to make judgements about what each discipline should be studying. However, with these abstact definitions alone, the reader cannot even begin to make a judgement. I felt that these kind of questions would only be suited to those who already have an extensive knowledge of linguistics. I also felt that such questions were irrelevant - it doesn't matter what area of linguistics a certain type of study comes under; what's important is whether it's worth studying. I would have preferred a book that actually got down to concrete examples of what lingustics was actually studying. Nevertheless, the book is useful in that it explains the meaning of all the terminology used in linguistics. This will no doubt be useful for further reading.

Although Widdowson is the editor of the Oxford Introductions to Language Studies series this book does not have the same feel as others in the series. The format is the same with a selection of readings following the author's introduction. However, this book seems to have been written as an introduction for experienced linguists. It contains all of the information but with none of the details that would make it a pleasant read for novices. Ultimately, trying to squeeze everything there is to be said about linguistics into 77 pages is an impossible task and makes for an unprofitable read.

That said, the selection of readings is particularly strong and Widdowson asks some pointed questions of each author. It is at times very apparent what answer he expects because he goes on to ask questions based on what his answer would be. This would annoy those who disagree with him.

This book only rated two stars because I expected more from the series editor. Widdowson seems to have missed the second word of the series title: introductions. Only those with a graduate level reading ability in the field of linguistics would find this book enjoyable. I would recommend Jean Aitchison's book instead (0340870834). It is highly readable and geared more for the novice.

There are many introductions to linguistics; Henry Widdowson's book not only provides an excellent overview of the basics it does so on only 80 pages (main text). For those who want (or need) more, the author provides excepts from other books, a list of references and a glossary.

Because the book is short it is necessarily dense. However, the concepts are explained clearly and'without being overly verbose. To say that Widdowson "calls on the reader to define what the subdisciplines of linguistics should be studying" (an Amazon reviewer) is only partially true. In the main text the areas of inquiry are clearly outlined. In the extracts from other books, however, Widdowson shows that different authors draw the boundaries between the various sub-disciplines differently. Of course, this may be difficult to accept for those who demand one irrevocable academic truth.