An Introduction to English Syntax (Edinburgh Textbooks on the English Language) (Edinburgh Textbooks on the English Language) - Hardcover

Jim Miller

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 074863360X ISBN 13: 9780748633609

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2008

Synopsis

'A slim and useful student textbook for English Syntax. Although most of the examples are from English, the book introduces general concepts which provide the necessary tools for a basic syntactic analysis of any language. The book concentrates on topics that will remain useful to the student who does not go on to study linguistics but, say, literature or EFL teaching' - "The Year's Work in English Studies". In this revised and fully updated new edition of his popular textbook, Jim Miller discusses the central concepts of syntax which are applied in a wide range of university courses, in business communication, in teaching and in speech therapy. This book deals with traditional concepts which have been greatly refined and extended over the past thirty years: what nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are and how they can be recognised; what a subordinate clause is and how different types of subordinate clause can be recognised; and, what subjects and objects are.This book draws out the connections between syntax and meaning and between syntax and discourse; in particular, a new chapter focuses on the analysis of discourse and the final chapter deals with tense, aspect and voice, topics which are central to the construction of texts and are of major importance in second language learning. They are also areas where meaning and grammar interconnect very closely. It's key features include: coverage of central themes with a wide application outside the study of syntax; explains basic concepts, supported by a glossary of technical terms; and, exercises and sources for further reading provided.

About this title

About the Author

Jim Miller is Professor Linguistics and Spoken Language at the University of Edinburgh. He works on the syntax and discourse organisations of spoken and written language, grammar and semantics, standard and non-standard lanugages, and literacy.

From the Back Cover

'A slim and useful student textbook for English Syntax. Although most of the examples are from English, the book introduces general concepts which provide the necessary tools for a basic syntactic analysis of any language. The book concentrates on topics that will remain useful to the student who does not go on to study linguistics but, say, literature or EFL teaching.' - The Year's Work in English Studies In this revised and fully updated new edition of his popular textbook, Jim Miller discusses the central concepts of syntax which are applied in a wide range of university courses, in business communication, in teaching and in speech therapy. The book deals with concepts which are central to traditional grammar but have been greatly refined over the past forty years: parts of speech and how to recognise them, constructions and their interrelationships, subordinate clauses and how to recognise the different types, subjects and objects, Agents and Patients and other roles. The book draws out the connections between syntax and meaning and between syntax and discourse; in particular, a new chapter focuses on the analysis of discourse and the final chapter deals with tense, aspect and voice, topics which are central to the construction of texts and are of major importance in second language learning. They are also areas where meaning and grammar interconnect very closely. Key features: * Coverage of central themes with a wide application outside the study of syntax * Explains basic concepts, supported by a glossary of technical terms * Exercises and sources for further reading provided. Jim Miller is Emeritus Professor at the University of Edinburgh, where he had a personal chair in Linguistics and Spoken Language. He works on the syntax and discourse organisation of spoken and written language, grammar and semantics, standard and non-standard languages, and literacy.

Edition details

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 074863360X
• ISBN 13: 9780748633609
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 224