A comprehensive and critical A-Z guide to the main terms and concepts used in the study of language and linguistics, definitions featured include:

• terms used in grammatical analysis
• branches of linguistics from semantics to neurolinguistics
• approaches used in studying language from critical discourse analysis to systemic linguistics
• linguistic phenomena from code-switching to conversational implicature
• language varieties from pidgin to standard language.

This fully updated second edition includes a new introduction, a wide range of new entries (reflecting developments in linguistics) and added specialized further reading for lecturers and more advanced students.