语言学是一门理论性强、内容比较抽象的课程。本书在语言论述方面既注重学术性和规范性，又兼顾通俗性和趣味性，尽量做到通俗易懂、简洁明了，以利于培养学习者对该学科的兴趣。
全书共分13章，分别介绍了语言学的各个分支学科及语言学与其他相关学科结合所形成的各个边缘学科。
本书除可作为高校英语专业本科语言学教材外，还可供语言学与应用语言学方向的硕士研究生以及其他语言学爱好者学习使用。

Chapter 1 Language and Linguistics
1.1 What is language?
1.1.1 Definitions of language
1.1.2 Design features of language
1.1.3 Functions of language
1.2 What is linguistics?
1.2.1 Definition of linguistics
1.2.2 Scope of linguistics
1.2.3 Some important distinctions in linguistics
Chapter 2 Phonetics and Phonology
2.1 What is phonetics?
2.1.1 Definition of phonetics
2.1.2 Three branches of phonetics
2.1.3 Speech organs
2.1.4 Voiced and voiceless sounds
2.1.5 Vowels and consonants
2.1.6 Phonetic transcription
2.2 Phonology
2.2.1 What is phonology?
2.2.2 Phonemes and allophones
2.2.3 Some rules in phonology
2.2.4 Distinctive features
2.2.5 Suprasegmental features
Chapter 3 Morphology
3.1 What is morphology?
3.2 What is a "word"?
3.3 Classification of words
3.3.1 Variable and invariable words
3.3.2 Grammatical and lexical words
3.3.3 Closed-class and open-class words
3.3.4 Word class
3.4 Morphemes
3.4.1 What is a morpheme?
3.4.2 Root, affix and stem
3.5 Types of morphemes
3.5.1 Free morphemes and bound morphemes
3.5.2 Inflectional morphemes and derivational morphemes
3.6 Allomorph
3.7 Word-formation processes
3.7.1 Coinage (Invention)
3.7.2 Borrowing
3.7.3 Compounding
3.7.4 Conversion
3.7.5 Derivation
3.7.6 Blending
3.7.7 Clipping
3.7.8 Acronyming
3.7.9 Backformation
Chapter 4 Syntax
4.1 What is syntax?
4.2 The structural approach
4.2.1 Syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations
4.2.2 Immediate constituent analysis
4.2.3 Endocentric and exocentric constructions
4.3 The generative approach
4.3.1 Deep and surface structures
4.3.2 The standard theory and after
4.3.3 Government, binding, etc.
4.4 The functional approach
4.4.1 Functional sentence perspective
4.4.2 Systemic-functional grammar
Chapter 5 Semantics
5.1 What is semantics?
5.2 What is meaning?
5.2.1 Meaning as naming
5.2.2 Meaning as concept
5.2.3 Meaning as context
5.2.4 Meaning as behavior
5.3 Word meaning
5.3.1 Sense and reference
5.3.2 Conceptual vs. associative meaning
5.3.3 Sense relations
5.3.4 Ambiguity
5.4 Sentence meaning
5.4.1 How to define the meaning of a sentence?
5.4.2 Sense relations between sentences
5.5 Analysis of meaning
5.5.1 Componential analysis-a way to analyze lexical meaning
5.5.2 Prediction analysis-a way to analyze sentence meaning
Chapter 6 Pragmatics
6.1 What is pragmatics?
6.2 Context and meaning
6.3 Deixis
6.3.1 What is deixis?
6.3.2 Classification of deixis
6.4 Pragmatics vs. semantics
6.5 Sentence meaning vs. utterance meaning
6.6 Speech act theory
6.6.1 Austin's theory of speech acts
6.6.2 Searle's theory of speech acts
6.6.3 Indirect speech acts
6.6.4 Indirect speech acts and politeness
6.7 Conversational implicature
6.7.1 Principle of conversation
6.7.2 Characteristics of implicature
6.8 Post-Gricean development
6.8.1 The Q- and R-principles
6.8.2 Relevance Theory
Chapter 7 Discourse Analysis
7.1 Discourse and discourse analysis
7.2 Information structure
7.2.1 Given and new information
7.2.2 Topic and comment
7.2.3 Contrast
7.3 Cohesion and coherence
7.3.1 Cohesion
7.3.2 Coherence
7.4 Conversational analysis
7.4.1 Adjacency pairs
7.4.2 Preference structure
7.4.3 Presequences
7.5 Critical discourse analysis
Chapter 8 Language Change
8.1 The changing language
8.2 The history of English
8.2.1 Old English
8.2.2 Middle English
8.2.3 Modern English
8.3 Language change on different linguistic levels
8.3.1 Phonological change
8.3.2 Morphol