Linguistics For Dummies

This was a very enjoyable introduction, with enough depth to introduce a broad range of linguistic concepts. Linguistics is a very broad discipline, and in some places it seemed like things were being glossed over quickly; what choice is there with a book like this. At times I was happy there was not more depth; I got my introduction, and I'm just not interested in going further. This is a perfect launching point for exploration, and it seems it could make a fine textbook for an introductory college course.

I'm new to linguistics, so far it's a fun hobby. I found this book very clear in its explanations and introduced all the various areas in linguistics. I found the part on languages moving from speaking to being written particularly intriguing. It brought me down a new path to further study: how writing systems evolved along with languages.

Excellent job by the authors. Useful for the general reader and scholars. I expected it to be hard to read: not so.

I find the Dummies books to be hit or miss. With this one, it is definitely a hit! What a wonderful introduction to the world of lingusitics. Thorough but easy to read. Incredibly informative. Well organized. For me, it's a quick reference book for concepts that I don't use as often, but if I were to teach an introductory course, I would use this book rather than the $100+ textbook options out there.

This is our official textbook for our Introduction to Linguistics class at ISU. Our teacher explicitly stated that, of all the proper textbooks and materials, this was the most concise and consistent he could find. Many other books have stances on topics that others don't agree with, but this one presents different viewpoints in a comprehensive and non-biased way. And since this is so cheap, my instructor was even more excited to use it. After using this for a few months I can completely agree with him. It's fun to read and it explains everything well using great examples. I would recommend this over a textbook any day.

Linguistics is a field that has created its own special vocabulary and there is a need for a book like this to translate the content and ideas for the layman.

Anyone interested in language should find this a great starting point or for review for people that have had a Linguistics course. Easy to read and illustrated! Full of terms and fully explained if you are interested in taking a college course.

I bought this to help me study for my graduate test in linguistics. However, it turned out that I really didn't need this book because I knew it all! I was hoping to use it to help me to study and reinforce, but this book is really for those who might be interested in studying linguistics or those who need a bit of background info. They don't go terribly far into detail, but that's what makes it so easy to read and understand.