Linguistics is a comprehensive crosslinguistic introduction to the study of language, and is ideal for students with no background in linguistics. A comprehensive introduction to the study of language, set apart by its inclusion of cross-linguistic data from over 80 different spoken and signed languagesExplores how language works by examining discourse, sentence-structure, meaning, words, and soundsIntroduces psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic issues, including language acquisition, neurolinguistics, language variation, language change, language contact, and multilingualismWritten in a problem-oriented style to engage readers, and is ideal for those new to the subjectIncorporates numerous student-friendly features throughout, including extensive exercises, summaries, assignments, and suggestions for further readingBased on the bestselling Dutch edition of this work, the English edition has been revised and expanded to offer an up-to-date and engaging survey of linguistics for students new to the field