DAVID NUNAN is Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School of Education, Anaheim University, USA, and Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Hong Kong.

• List of Tables and FiguresPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction to the First Edition: The Stuff that Surrounds UsIntroduction to the Second Edition: A Personal AccountWhat is this Thing Called Language?The Sound SystemThe Lexical SystemThe Grammatical SystemDoing Things with Spoken LanguageDoing Things with Written LanguageFirst and Second Language AcquisitionLanguage at PlayLanguage, Culture and IdentityLanguage in a Global ContextPostscriptBooks to Read on a Long Plane FlightKey FiguresGlossaryReferencesAuthor IndexSubject Index.

'Rich in insight, wonderful examples, very readable, brilliantly analytical, simultaneously amusing and highly serious, accessible, humane and aimed directly at anyone interested in knowing more about human language and its study; and, to borrow one of David Nunan's own phrases - one of the most un-put-down-able books I have read.' Professor Ronald Carter, School of English, University of Nottingham, UK. 'This highly readable book is an ideal gift to give anyone who doesn't know much about language but might want to learn. It could be an avenue into the study of linguistics for secondary school and university students, a great introduction to language issues for members of the press and the government, or even a way to explain to non-linguists (your parents, for instance) what it is that linguists do. It is packed with information but is still an enjoyable and entertaining read.' Professor Kathi Bailey, Monterey Institute of International Studies, US