# Linguistics **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 22, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838 "2003-02-22T22:10:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/21 "2003-02-23T09:05:25Z")
Folks make that stupid joke even if you’re not gay, andygirl. > [@](#): > > I’m also a big fan of Gothic, if only because I can yell at my Goth friends about how they don’t speak their own language. Cold. Funny, but cold. Good work! ---
**Author:** ![odd-socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@odd-socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/odd-socks)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/22 "2003-02-23T16:40:41Z")
**Monty** Well, I guess I would fall into definition two: I am discounting the smattering of French I learnt about a million years ago 😉 The two main areas of linguistics that intrigue me are Sociolinguistics and Language Pathology. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/23 "2003-02-23T18:08:49Z")
I speak fluent English, and enough Spanish to have a basic conversation. I prefer Spanish because it seems to flow better. It also doesn’t have as many weird rules. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/24 "2003-02-24T00:34:07Z")
Please define “weird.” ---
**Author:** ![PoignantSod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@PoignantSod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoignantSod)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/25 "2003-02-24T02:18:23Z")
Does anyone have a recommendation for a book on linguistics for an amateur lacking any background in it? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/26 "2003-02-24T03:51:22Z")
PoignantSod: You could go with the text I had in Linguistics 1. It’s An Introduction to Language, by Victoria Fromkin and Robert Rodman, ISBN 0-03-018682-X. carodin: An interesting book I just finished for the class I’m taking in Historical Linguistics is Language Change: Progress or Decay?, by Jean Aitchison, ISBN 0-521-79535-4. There’s a bit of a discussion in it about language death. ---
**Author:** ![odd-socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@odd-socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/odd-socks)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/27 "2003-02-24T08:32:04Z")
**Poignant Sod** Following on from Monty’s suggestion, I would like to recommend the following: “The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language” by David Crystal. Don’t be put off by the “encyclopedia” part - it’s not perhaps what you might expect, but it is an excellent read. **Monty** thanks for the title. Have you read her “Articulate Mamal?” What attracted you to linguistics? Sociolinguistics is an interesting area - covers a broad spectrum, which is what appeals to me. For anyone that might want to take a peek at language pathology, another book recommendation is: “Introduction to Language Pathology” by David Crystal and Rosemary Varley: good stuff, although more of an academic text book I think, than aimed at the general reader? No, I don’t work for him 😉 As for your question about the Palm, do you know this resource? [http://www.linguistlist.org/](http://www.linguistlist.org/) there will most likely be someone there that can point you straight at what you need. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/28 "2003-02-24T10:27:33Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Monty \* \*\*Steve: Two questions for you: [ul][li]Is the \ in \ pronounced [k] or [s]?[/li][li]I checked your profile and that’s moved me to ask: Are you involved in Computational Linguistics at all?[/ul] \*\*[/li][/QUOTE] [s], definitely. You get much more spittle that way. I _was_ sort of involved in Computational Linguistics, ten years ago when I was doing my doomed research project … these days, I’m out of academia and, sadly, working for a living, with a bunch of web developers and graphic designers who barely speak English, let alone anything else. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/29 "2003-02-24T17:00:42Z")
**Poignant Sod** , I heartily second **carodin’s** recommendation of David Crystal’s “The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language”. This was the first true linguistics text I ever got my hands on – yet it’s as useful to me now, after over a decade of study, as it was when I was a novice. If you stick with your interest in human language, you will be running back to Crystal’s book time and time again. Here are some others I recommend: [**"Introducing Linguistics"**](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1840461691/qid=1046105104/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-1865004-2681659?v=glance&s=books) by R. L. (Larry) Trask–excellent overview of the subject given in layman’s terms. Introduces most every important academic concept that you’ll want to be familiar with for future linguistics study. [**"Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language"**](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060958405/ref=pd_sim_books_2/002-1865004-2681659?v=glance&s=books) by Steven Pinker–mostly academic in tone, but still very readable. Get into Crystal’s and Trask’s books first to build your foundation, then dig into Pinker. [**"The Power of Babel"**](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/006052085X/qid=1046104808/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-1865004-2681659?v=glance&s=book) by John McWhorter–can be enjoyed without too much linguistic knowledge. Highly readable, not so academic – but certianly not dumbed down, either. Touches on a dizzying assortment of topics linguistic, and in this way serves as a solid intoductory text. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/30 "2003-02-25T08:50:31Z")
For a nice overview of the world’s languages (and a beautiful coffee table book) you might check out [The Atlas of Languages](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0816051232/qid=1046163002/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-0498754-4776712?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) by Comrie et al. It was my textbook for one of the first Ling classes I took (Languages of the World) and gives a very balanced look at world languages and the differences between 'em. ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/31 "2003-02-25T14:46:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Please define “weird.” Definition by example: “i before e, except after c, or sounding like ‘ay’ as in ‘neighbor’ or ‘weigh.’” I always think of that rule whenever I see the movie title “Weird Science”… 😉 Barry ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/32 "2003-02-25T17:20:25Z")
That’s not a definnition. It’s an example of something you find weird. ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/33 "2003-02-27T14:32:25Z")
Well, I _did_ say it was a definition by example. Just to make you happy, though: > [@](#): > > Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange. Barry ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/34 "2003-02-27T14:42:19Z")
I’m a linguist by definition 1 only. I have never studied linguistics but have spent a good deal of time in philology. I can speak French with some proficiency and German with noticeably less so. I am rather stronger with ancient languages. Latin is my favorite due to its elegance, balance, and concision. I also enjoy reading ancient Greek, Old High German, Old English, Old French, and of the medieval languages, I especially love Occitan. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/35 "2003-02-27T15:21:55Z")
Maeglin: For some odd reason, academia in the US decided to go with only one definition of _Philology_ (study of literature) and use another term (Linguistics) for the other definition. Given the content of your posting above, you appear to be a linguist by both definitions of that particular word. godzilla: ALL language rules can be viewed as strange. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/36 "2003-02-27T15:28:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Given the content of your posting above, you appear to be a linguist by both definitions of that particular word. I don’t know about that. I have never read a single book on “language” or “linguistics,” as it were. I am only barely acquainted with theories of language acquisition, and my knowledge of language families is in serious disrepair. I have never studied languages as “systems,” I probably don’t know the first thing about phonology, and after a few beers I can explain the difference between a glottal and an aspirate. There just happen to be a few languages I know relatively well. My training is the pursuit of the meaning of words in their social and literary contexts, and less so with respect to the structures of the languages themselves. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/37 "2003-02-27T16:10:09Z")
I have a significant interest in linguistics. Would have minored in it, had my university done minors. It’s proved useful recently in a computational linguistics manner. I’ve just finished implementing (well, it’s working) a medical narrative engine that takes medical findings and outputs English (“Bob Smith reports severe abdominal pain in the epigastric area.”…) I work for a medical software company, and apparently this is one of the more valuable features of our product. I’m kinda proud of it. ---
**Author:** ![Broodha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@Broodha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broodha)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/38 "2003-02-27T19:27:20Z")
Why do most languages have voiceless stops? (PTK) ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/39 "2003-02-27T20:11:08Z")
A semi-sort of-hijack: I’m getting a dual major in Computer Science (blegh) and Humanities. I would _like_ to go into Linguistics, maybe grad school (?). What do you need to study/take/know to get into a grad program in Linguistics? ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838/40 "2003-02-27T21:39:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Broodha \* > \*\*Why do most languages have voiceless stops? (PTK) \*\* Ease of articulation. Produce airflow -\> stop airflow -\> release airflow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistics/156838.md?page=3)