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Language » Linguistics

Browse book recommendations:

Language

  • Books for Learning Languages
  • English Grammar & Usage
  • Evolution of Language
  • Linguistics
  • New Language Books
  • Writing Books

We have a range of interviews covering books on linguistics. Daniel L Everett, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Bentley University chooses his best books on language and thought. He argues that all language has a basis in culture, and explains how Chomsky is like Freud: crucial, but crucially wrong. Among his choices are Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir, Language in Relation to a Unified Theory of the Structure of Human Behaviour by Kenneth Pike and Making it Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive Commitment by Robert Brandom.

Lane Greene, columnist on language and linguistics for the Economist, chooses his best books on language and the mind. He discusses the extent to which languages do and do not affect the way people actually think about things. He chooses, among others,  Through the Language Glass by Guy Deutscher, The Language Instinct by Stephen Pinker and The Genius of Language, edited by Wendy Lessen.

The author Henry Hitchings, who specialises in language and cultural history thinks the globalisation of English is not a matter of concern for lovers of the language. He chooses Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler, Mother Tongues by Helena Drysdale, The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Stephen Pinker, History in English Words by Owen Barfield and A Mouthful of Air by Anthony Burgess.

    The best books on Linguistics, recommended by David Adger

  • Read
    The best books on Linguistics - The Resilience of Language by Susan Goldin-Meadow

    1

    The Resilience of Language
    by Susan Goldin-Meadow

  • Read
    The best books on Linguistics - Language and Experience: Evidence from the Blind Child by Barbara Landau & Lila Gleitman

    2

    Language and Experience: Evidence from the Blind Child
    by Barbara Landau & Lila Gleitman

  • Read
    The best books on Linguistics - The Language of Thought by Jerry Fodor

    3

    The Language of Thought
    by Jerry Fodor

  • Read
    The best books on Linguistics - On Nature and Language by Noam Chomsky

    4

    On Nature and Language
    by Noam Chomsky

  • Read
    The best books on Linguistics - Embassytown by China Miéville

    5

    Embassytown
    by China Miéville

  • The best books on Linguistics - The Resilience of Language by Susan Goldin-Meadow
  • The best books on Linguistics - Language and Experience: Evidence from the Blind Child by Barbara Landau & Lila Gleitman
  • The best books on Linguistics - The Language of Thought by Jerry Fodor
  • The best books on Linguistics - On Nature and Language by Noam Chomsky
  • The best books on Linguistics - Embassytown by China Miéville

The best books on Linguistics, recommended by David Adger

Which linguistics books give a good sense of what the field is about? David Adger, Professor of Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London and the current president of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain, recommends some of his own favourite books on the science of language, including a sci-fi novel.

The best books on Linguistics, recommended by David Adger

    The best books on The Philosophy of Language, recommended by Scott Soames

  • Read
    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - The Foundations of Arithmetic by Gottlob Frege

    1

    The Foundations of Arithmetic
    by Gottlob Frege

  • Read
    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Naming and Necessity by Saul A Kripke

    2

    Naming and Necessity
    by Saul A Kripke

  • Read
    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Themes from Kaplan by Joseph Almog, John Perry and Howard Wettstein

    3

    Themes from Kaplan
    by Joseph Almog, John Perry and Howard Wettstein

  • Read
    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Syntactic Structures by Noam Chomsky

    4

    Syntactic Structures
    by Noam Chomsky

  • Read
    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Frege’s Puzzle by Nathan Salmon

    5

    Frege’s Puzzle
    by Nathan Salmon

  • The best books on The Philosophy of Language - The Foundations of Arithmetic by Gottlob Frege
  • The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Naming and Necessity by Saul A Kripke
  • The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Themes from Kaplan by Joseph Almog, John Perry and Howard Wettstein
  • The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Syntactic Structures by Noam Chomsky
  • The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Frege’s Puzzle by Nathan Salmon

The best books on The Philosophy of Language, recommended by Scott Soames

When you study the philosophy of language, you study the languages of logic, mathematics, and science, and not just English, French, and German. Philosopher Scott Soames picks the best books on the philosophy of language.

The best books on The Philosophy of Language, recommended by Scott Soames

    The best books on Language and Thought, recommended by Daniel L. Everett

  • Read
    The best books on Language and Thought - Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

    1

    Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech
    by Edward Sapir

  • Read
    The best books on Language and Thought - Language In Relation To A Unified Theory Of The Structure Of Human Behaviour by Kenneth Pike

    2

    Language In Relation To A Unified Theory Of The Structure Of Human Behaviour
    by Kenneth Pike

  • Read
    The best books on Language and Thought - Aspects of the Theory of Syntax by Noam Chomsky

    3

    Aspects of the Theory of Syntax
    by Noam Chomsky

  • Read
    The best books on Language and Thought - On Understanding Grammar by Talmy Givón

    4

    On Understanding Grammar
    by Talmy Givón

  • Read
    The best books on Language and Thought - Making It Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive Commitment by Robert Brandom

    5

    Making It Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive Commitment
    by Robert Brandom

  • The best books on Language and Thought - Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir
  • The best books on Language and Thought - Language In Relation To A Unified Theory Of The Structure Of Human Behaviour by Kenneth Pike
  • The best books on Language and Thought - Aspects of the Theory of Syntax by Noam Chomsky
  • The best books on Language and Thought - On Understanding Grammar by Talmy Givón
  • The best books on Language and Thought - Making It Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive Commitment by Robert Brandom

The best books on Language and Thought, recommended by Daniel L. Everett

The linguist argues that all language has a basis in culture and explains how Chomsky is like Freud: crucial, but crucially wrong. He chooses five of the best books on linguistics.

The best books on Language and Thought, recommended by Daniel L. Everett

    The best books on Language and the Mind, recommended by Lane Greene

  • Read
    The best books on Language and the Mind - Through the Language Glass by Guy Deutscher

    1

    Through the Language Glass
    by Guy Deutscher

  • Read
    The best books on Language and the Mind - The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker

    2

    The Language Instinct
    by Steven Pinker

  • Read
    The best books on Language and the Mind - The First Word by Christine Kenneally

    3

    The First Word
    by Christine Kenneally

  • Read
    The best books on Language and the Mind - In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent

    4

    In the Land of Invented Languages
    by Arika Okrent

  • Read
    The best books on Language and the Mind - The Genius of Language by Wendy Lessen (editor)

    5

    The Genius of Language
    by Wendy Lessen (editor)

  • The best books on Language and the Mind - Through the Language Glass by Guy Deutscher
  • The best books on Language and the Mind - The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker
  • The best books on Language and the Mind - The First Word by Christine Kenneally
  • The best books on Language and the Mind - In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent
  • The best books on Language and the Mind - The Genius of Language by Wendy Lessen (editor)

The best books on Language and the Mind, recommended by Lane Greene

Does the world look different in other languages? Are there words that cannot be translated? Is it OK to say disinterested when you mean uninterested? Lane Greene, who writes the Economist’s “Johnson” column on language, dispels some of the popular but misguided ideas many of us have about language.

The best books on Language and the Mind, recommended by Lane Greene

    The best books on Language, recommended by Henry Hitchings

  • Read
    The best books on Language - Empires of the Word by Nicholas Ostler

    1

    Empires of the Word
    by Nicholas Ostler

  • Read
    The best books on Language - Mother Tongues by Helena Drysdale

    2

    Mother Tongues
    by Helena Drysdale

  • Read
    The best books on Language - The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker

    3

    The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
    by Steven Pinker

  • Read
    The best books on Language - History in English Words by Owen Barfield

    4

    History in English Words
    by Owen Barfield

  • Read
    The best books on Language - A Mouthful of Air by Anthony Burgess

    5

    A Mouthful of Air
    by Anthony Burgess

  • The best books on Language - Empires of the Word by Nicholas Ostler
  • The best books on Language - Mother Tongues by Helena Drysdale
  • The best books on Language - The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker
  • The best books on Language - History in English Words by Owen Barfield
  • The best books on Language - A Mouthful of Air by Anthony Burgess

The best books on Language, recommended by Henry Hitchings

The wordsmith and cultural historian debunks common myths about English, recommends the smartest writing about words, and says apostrophes are “orthographic squiggles” not worth fighting for.

The best books on Language, recommended by Henry Hitchings

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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