This textbook provides a clear and concise overview of the main schools of linguistic thought
and scholarship from the late 18th century to the present day examining the key tenets and
leading figures of each approach and assessing their impact on the field. Combining theory with
practice the author aims to familiarise students with the mechanisms used in analysing
language structures to acquaint them with the history of the discipline and to demonstrate
how different - sometimes competing - approaches can be combined to understand language and
linguistics today. Written in an engaging and accessible manner this textbook is an ideal
primer for new students of linguistics at any level as well as more experienced researchers
seeking to understand the history of their field or the arguments and theories of other
sub-disciplines.
