A comprehensive, fully up-to-date introduction to the subject, Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction covers not only how language is structured but how it functions, both socially and culturally. It will prepare students to go on to more advanced work and - at the same time - will serve as a basic reference students can continue to consult throughout their studies. The text discusses all the major core areas of linguistics as well as numerous related areas. Core topics dealt with include phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, historical linguistics, and the classification of language. Related areas covered include language and the brain, language acquisition, second language acquisition, language in social contexts, writing systems, animal communication, and computational linguistics. A modular arrangement of the material facilitates use of the book in courses at varying levels and with differing emphasis: in each chapter, detailed and/or advanced - and therefore optional - material is clearly set off in the text, leaving instructors the option to cover or omit it. Extensive and carefully developed end-of-chapter apparatus makes the material fully accessible to students. A detailed glossary of terms and a language index (as well as a standard subject index) are provided at the back of the book.