Back for its fourth edition, this core textbook offers a clear and engaging introduction to the building blocks of the English language, namely its words, sounds and sentences. Assuming no prior knowledge, this text combines accessibility with depth and is an ideal companion for anyone with an interest in how language works. Written by experienced and respected lecturers in the field, this book strips the subject down to its bare bones and offers detailed and clear explanations of key topics and theories, including variation in vocabularies, the International Phonetic Alphabet and relevance theory in relation to pragmatics. This is essential reading for undergraduate students of English Language and Linguistics. It is also a valuable resource for students on ESOL courses and teachers of English as a second or foreign language. It can be used as a stand-alone introductory text, or as a precursor to more advanced material. 

Koenraad Kuiper holds a PhD from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and a DSc from the University of Canterbury. He is the author of nine books and editor of seven. He is author of numerous journal articles and book chapters. He has taught first year English language courses for four decades and is the recipient of the University of Canterbury's teaching medal. He has held two Fulbright Fellowships and a Fellowship at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Science. Born and brought up in Scotland, W. Scott Allan attained his MA and PhD in English language and linguistics at Edinburgh University, where he subsequently taught briefly before moving to New Zealand in 1985. He published in a wide range of journals and was on the executive editorial board for The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (R.E. Asher, Pergamon Press, 1994). Scott lectured in the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics at the Auckland University until his death in 2004.

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