Introductory Textbooks

Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction

O'Grady, W., Dobrovolskly, M. & Katamba, F. (1997). London; New York: Longman

This tome covers every area of linguistics, and in great detail, complete with exercises at the end of each chapter. This isn't one you're likely to read from cover to cover, but it's a great reference, and a good first stop if you want a new, more detailed angle on specific concepts. The edition available in the library is out of date, but it will get the job done - if you love it enough, you can purchase the newer edition here.

English Linguistics: A Coursebook for students of English

Herbst, T (2010). English Linguistics: A coursebook for students of English. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.

This book offers a key insight into a wide range of issues in English language and linguistics, which you will study in the first year of your degree. This includes an introduction to phonetics, meaning, morphology, grammar, syntax, pragmatics, and language variation. The book is especially useful for reading alongside your studies, as it summarises and introduces essential material, for example, describing phonetic sounds and the IPA. It may be best to use this book in conjunction with the rest of your course materials and during your studies – trying to make sense of all the material before classes start might be overwhelming for such a large book, which covers complex concepts you have not come across yet.

Introducing English Linguistics

Myer, C.F. (2009). Introducing English Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

This is a great introductory textbook that gives a basic introduction to a wide range of topics that you will study in your first year, including syntax, sounds, and meaning in English. It offers a good outline of the most essential concepts that you will learn about in your studies, for example, different places and manners of articulation in sound production. It is a useful companion textbook to support your learning alongside the specific textbooks/readings for each of your classes.

Introduction to English Linguistics (3rd Ed.)

Plag, I., Arndt-Lappe, S., Braun, M. and Schramm, M. (2015). Introduction to English Linguistics (3rd Ed.). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.

This book offers an introduction to areas of linguistics. It offers an introductory chapter on topics that you will study in first year and explains key terms and concepts. Concepts are explained with the help of diagrams and data sets from different languages. It provides useful background reading for each of your first-year modules.