Fifty Key Thinkers on Language and Linguistics

by Margaret Thomas

What was the first language, and where did it come from? Do all languages have properties in common? What is the relationship of language to thought? Fifty Key Thinkers on Language and Linguistics explores how fifty of the most influential figures in the field have asked and have responded to classic questions about language. Each entry includes a discussion of the person’s life, work and ideas as well as the historical context and an analysis of his or her lasting contributions. Thinkers Fully cross-referenced and with useful guides to further reading, this is an ideal introduction to the thinkers who have had a significant impact on the subject of Language and Linguistics.

Genres: Linguistics, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Language

328 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2011

About the author

After two years of trying to be useful as an investment analyst in the Monetary Authority of Singapore in the mid-1970s, Margaret Thomas found her calling in journalism. She spent some 25 years in the newsrooms of The Business Times, The Singapore Monitor, and TODAY, mostly in senior editing positions, and was also in the founding team of Singapore Press Holding’s Internet arm, Asiaone. She now works on book and related projects. Having inherited her father’s do-gooder genes, she is active in civil society. She was, in 1985, a founder member of AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research) and in 2003 of TWC2, which promotes equitable treatment of migrant workers in Singapore.

Reviews

[Jared Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

50 snippets about thinkers on Language and languages. Wonderfully entertaining, but I might be biased - Margaret Thomas was a professor of mine in college!

[Josita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Todos los libros de lingüística dicen la misma wea o es mi idea?