An Introduction To The Study Of Language

by Leonard Bloomfield

An Introduction To The Study Of Language by Leonard Bloomfield. This foundational text surveys the science of linguistics, grounding language study in a historically informed view of language as a social, expressive, and biological phenomenon. Bloomfield organizes the subject into major the nature and origin of language, the physical basis of language, the mental basis of language, the forms of language, morphology, syntax, internal change in language, external change of languages, the teaching of languages, and the study of language. It introduces core concepts such as expressive movements, gesture-language, writing, audible expressions, the development of language in the child, and the evolution and diffusion of language across communities. The book emphasizes an empirical, data-driven approach that integrates phonetics, morphology, syntax with historical and cross-linguistic comparison, and it treats language as a social habit shaped by collective usage. It remains a foundational text for students seeking to understand language structure, change, and pedagogy.

Genres: Linguistics

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983