Edited by: Harriet Luria, Deborah M. Seymour, Trudy Smoke
Taking a sociocultural and educational approach, Language and Linguistics in Context: Readings and Applications for Teachers:
*introduces basic linguistic concepts and current perspectives on language acquisition;
*considers the role of linguistic change (especially in English) in the politics of language;
*acknowledges the role of linguists in current policies involving language;
*offers insights into the relationship between the structure of language systems and first- and second-language acquisition; the study of language across culture, class, race, gender, and ethnicity; and between language study and literacy and education; and
*provides readers with a basis for understanding current educational debates about bilingual education, non-standard dialects, English only movements, literacy methodologies, and generally the importance to teaching of the study of language.
The text is organized into three thematic units – “What is Language and How is It Acquired?”; “How Does Language Change?”; and “What is Literacy?”. To achieve both breadth and depth – that is, to provide a “big picture” view of basic linguistics and at the same time make it specific enough for the beginner – a selection of readings, including personal language narratives, is provided to both introduce and clarify linguistic concepts. The readings, by well-known theoretical and applied linguists and researchers from various disciplines, are diverse in level and range of topics and vary in level of linguistic formalism.
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