BOOKS of Linguistics

The Language Instinct--by Stephen Pinker. This book is about language acquisition and a
few other things, and is really interesting to read and well-written. (and besides, written
by an MIT professor).
The Languages of the World--by Kenneth Katzner. I think I've leafed through my own
worn-out copy of this hundreds of times. The book has three parts, one which classifies all
major languages and a few minor ones (although I'm not sure how up-to-date this is), one
which gives brief descriptions and written samples of several dozen languages (this is the
most interesting part), and a third listing the languages spoken in every country (some of
these may be surprising).
The Origin of Language--by Merritt RuhlenThis is a very interesting introduction to the
methods of historical linguistics, as well as an excellent defense and description of a
controversial theory of language origins
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language--by David CrystalThis book covers more
aspects of language and linguistics than any other single book I've seen.
A Guide to the World's Languages--by Merritt Ruhlen This book is an in depth look at the
classification of the world's languages, and also includes interesting history about the
classification of various languages.
Writing Systems of the World--by Akira Nakanishi This is a fascinating look at the many
writing systems used around the world, with lots of information about all the major ones.
On the Origin of Languages--by Merritt Ruhlen Another book about language origins (as
the title states), this time with lots and lots of word lists. A little technical at times, but the
word lists are pretty fascinating for anyone with an interest in language.
Course in General Linguistics (Open Court Classics) by Ferdinand de Saussure
Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir
Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf by Benjamin
Lee Whorf
Topics in the Theory of Generative Grammar (Janua Linguarum. Series Minor) by Noam
Chomsky
Language and Mind by Noam Chomsky
Aspects of the Theory of Syntax by Noam Chomsky
Lectures on Government and Binding: The Pisa Lectures (Studies in Generative
Grammar [Sgg]) by Noam Chomsky
Six Lectures on Sound and Meaning by Roman Jakobson
Elements of General Linguistics (Midway Reprint Series) by Andr Martin
Prolegomena to a Theory of Language by Louis Hjelmslev
The Philosophy of Grammar by Otto Jespersen
The Logical Syntax of Language (Open Court Classics) by Rudolf Carnap
14. Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language by John R. Searle
15. Signs, Language and Behavior by C. Morris
16. Verbal Art, Verbal Sign, Verbal Time by Roman Jakobson
17. Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning by K.
Halliday MA
18. Thought and Language - Revised Edition by L. S. Vygotski
19. The Language and Thought of the Child (Routledge Classics) by Jean Piaget

20. Verbal Behavior by B. F. Skinner

21. Language in Relation to a Unified Theory of the Structure of Human Behavior (
22. Phonetics: A Critical Analysis of Phonetic Theory and a Technic for the Practical
23. Phonemics: A Technique for Reducing Languages to Writing by Kenneth L. Pike
24. Toward a modern theory of case (Project on linguistic analysis report) by Charles J.
25. Language in Thought and Action: Fifth Edition by S. I. Hayakawa

Course in General Linguistics by Ferdinand de Saussure

The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven
Pinker

An Introduction to Language
by Victoria A. Fromkin
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The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human
Nature
by Steven Pinker
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Metaphors We Live By
by George Lakoff
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4.07 avg rating 2,333 ratings

score: 698, and 7 people voted

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The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language
by John McWhorter
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Linguistics Terms and Concepts
by Geoffrey Finch
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8

The Loom of Language: An Approach to the Mastery of Many

Languages
by Frederick Bodmer
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How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change
Meaning, and Languages Live or Die
by David Crystal
3.71 of 5 stars
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The Study of Language
by George Yule
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Syntactic Structures
by Noam Chomsky
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12

Foundations of Language: Brain, Meaning, Grammar,

Evolution
by Ray S. Jackendoff
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Essential Introductory Linguistics
by Grover Hudson
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score: 381, and 4 people voted

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Talking Hands: What Sign Language Reveals about the Mind
by Margalit Fox (Goodreads Author)
3.94 of 5 stars
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Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl
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The Man Who Forgot How To Read

by Howard Engel
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A Course in Phonetics [With CDROM]
by Peter Ladefoged
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Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things
by George Lakoff
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The Stories of English
by David Crystal
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The Story of English
by Robert McCrum
4.09 of 5 stars

4.09 avg rating 1,421 ratings

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21
Language and Linguistics
by John Lyons
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22
The Horse, the Wheel and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders
from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
by David W. Anthony
3.92 of 5 stars
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22
Linguistics in America 1769 1924
by Julie Andresen
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The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of IndoEuropean Roots
by Joseph Twadell Shipley
4.39 of 5 stars

4.39 avg rating 18 ratings

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25
Language Change: Progress or Decay?
by Jean Aitchison
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Language and Responsibility
by Noam Chomsky
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Language
by Leonard Bloomfield
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Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial & America's
Continuing Debate Over Science & Religion
by Edward J. Larson
3.87 of 5 stars
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Language Universals
by Joseph H. Greenberg
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Deconstruction and Criticism
by Harold Bloom
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31
Language and the Mind

by John Field
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32
An Introduction to Historical Linguistics
by Terry Crowley
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Historische Grammatica van het Nederlands
by Moritz Schnfeld
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32
On the Essence of Language: The Metaphysics of Language
and the Essencing of the Word; Concerning Herder's Treatise on
the Origin of Language
by Martin Heidegger
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The Last Speakers: The Quest to Save the World's Most
Endangered Languages
by K. David Harrison

3.79 of 5 stars
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32
The Last Word: The English Language: Opinions and
Prejudices
by Laurence Urdang
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The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient
Code
by Margalit Fox (Goodreads Author)
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Masters of the Word: How Media Shaped History
by William J. Bernstein
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32
Names in Focus: An Introduction to Finnish Onomastics
by Terhi Ainiala

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32
Old English and its Closest Relatives
by Orrin W.Robinson
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32
Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different
in Other Languages
by Guy Deutscher
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A History of the English Language
by Albert C. Baugh
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32

by Aleksander Potebnja
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44
The Origin of Language: Tracing the Evolution of the Mother
Tongue
by Merritt Ruhlen
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44
Languages of the World: An Introduction
by Asya Pereltsvaig
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44
Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the
Amazonian Jungle
by Daniel L. Everett
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44
Adam's Tongue: How Humans Made Language, How Language
Made Humans
by Derek Bickerton
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3.97 avg rating 152 ratings

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44
English with an Accent: Language, Ideology and
Discrimination in the United States
by Rosina Lippi-Green
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44
, ?
by George Y. Shevelov
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50
The Dawn of Slavic: An Introduction to Slavic Philology
by Alexander M. Schenker
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Mental Spaces: Aspects of Meaning Construction in Natural
Language
by Gilles Fauconnier
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The Articulate Mammal: An Introduction to Psycholinguistics
by Jean Aitchison
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Trask's Historical Linguistics
by Robert McColl Millar (Revision)
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50

Word On The Street: Debunking The Myth Of A Pure Standard

English
by John McWhorter
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Iz Lekcii Po Teorii Slovesnosti: Basnja; Poslovica; Pogovorka
by Aleksander Potebnja
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56
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends
by David Wilton
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56
Concessive Relation in Spoken Discourse: A Study Into
Academic Spoken English
by Andrzej Yda
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56

The History of the Lithuanian Language

by Zigmas Zinkeviius
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56
Far from the Madding Gerund: And Other Dispatches from
Language Log
by Mark Liberman
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56
The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood's Journey
into the Minds of Serial Killers
by Stephen G. Michaud
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56
The Ukrainian Language in the First Half of the
Twentieth Century (1900-1941): Its State and Status
by George Y. Shevelov
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Historical Linguistics: An Introduction
by Winfred P. Lehmann
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62
Word and Object
by Willard Van Orman Quine

4.0 of 5 stars
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64
The Signs of Language
by Edward Klima
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65
A Concise Guide To Psycholinguistics
by Stanislaw Puppel
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66
Pengantar Sosiologi Sastra: Dari Strukturalisme
Genetik sampai Post-modernisme
by Faruk
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67

Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin

by Nicholas Ostler
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67
Spell It Out: The Curious, Enthralling and
Extraordinary Story of English Spelling
by David Crystal