Author Description

English Today: Forms, Functions, and Uses is written as an introduction to linguistics and English studies for people new to the field and also those who want to expand their understanding of the field by learning about both formal and functional approaches to studying English language. As such, this book is one of the first that includes an introduction to both formal and functional linguistics. The book is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on formal linguistics and includes chapters on phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics, language variation, and modern Englishes. The second part introduces functional linguistics and includes chapters on ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions as well as chapters on textual continuity, language in context, and translation. In introducing the field, this book also presents some discussion of how this knowledge of language is used to respond to various real-world questions and issues. With detailed and varied examples, diagrams and explanations, readers will be introduced to a wide range of aspects in linguistics and English studies. They will develop an understanding of both formal and functional approaches that linguists adopt in exploring different aspects of language and in responding to a range of questions. Given the inclusive approach to language adopted in this book, it will serve well as a textbook as well as a reference book for an introductory course on English language studies and/or linguistics.