Language Matters

LAURIE BAUER is Professor in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He is on the editorial board of Linguistics and the Yearbook of Morphology. His publications include Language Myths (with Peter Trudgill, Penguin, 1998), Morphological Productivity (Cambridge, 2001), Introducing Linguistic Morphology 2e (EUP 2003) and An Introduction to International Varieties of English (EUP 2002).JANET HOLMES is Professor in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She is on the editorial boards of eleven learned journals, including Language in Society and Discourse and Society. Her publications include Introduction to Sociolinguistics 2e (Longman, 2001) and Women, Men and Politeness (Longman, 1995).PAUL WARREN is Associate Professor in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He teaches in a wide range of areas of Linguistics, and has research interests in psycholinguistics and experimental phonetics.

• IntroductionPART 1: THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE Where Does Language Come From?Why Don't We All Talk the Same?Things Ain't What They Used to BeLinguistic RelationsBee Talk and Monkey ChatterPART 2: LANGUAGE STRUCTURES How Do You Spell Accommodation?How Many Words Do The Eskimos Use?Going On and On: The Never-ending StoryPrimitive Languages?Who Needs Grammar?Mobile MessagesPART 3: LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY How Do We Lose Languages and Does It Matter?What Shall I Call You?Do Women and Men Speak Differently?Sexist Language and Linguist SexismWhat Language Do You Use to Your Grandmother?Why Can't People in Birmingham Talk Right?PART 4: LANGUAGE, BRAIN AND MIND Why My Feets Hurted?Does Bilingualism Rot the Brain?Building Another TongueYou've Tasted the Whole WormIs Language a Strait Jacket?When Language Breaks DownPART 5: CONCLUSION Who Cares About Language?Index.