Book Review- The Study of Language (6th eds.) by George Yule
The Study of Language (6th eds.)
George Yule (2017)
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
Pp xi + 356
ISBN
978-1316606759 (paper)
$30.30 U.S.
The
remarkable shift in the United States’ K-12 School demographic in last two
decades required all teachers to be able to support EL’s language, literacy,
and content learning in English by educating themselves with the
characteristics of discourse and text (Nutta, Mokhtari, & Strebel, 2012, p.
10). Applied linguistics is one of the courses required to be mastered by the teachers
of ELs (Nutta, Mokhtari, & Strebel, 2012). The Study of language (6th ed.) is a comprehensive
resource for in-service teachers, teacher candidates, and teacher trainers
alike. Informed and trained by his years of experience in the field of applied
linguistics and teacher education, Yule’s intention is to afford a clear
introduction of various topics in engaging manner. Recently edited based on the
comprehensive survey of instructors throughout the world, the book includes
various contemporary issues, and offers multiple new materials in applied
linguistics.
The book is organized into twenty
chapters. I have been teaching this book for pre-service teacher candidates for
two years now, and I categories the chapters under five sections, (a) Language Acquisition, (b) Know your language, (c) Study of Grammar and beyond, (d) Language Variation, and (e) Other.
Language
Acquisition incorporates four chapters, Chapter
1: The Origins of Language; Chapter
12: Language and the Brain; Chapter
13: First Language Acquisition; and Chapter
14: Second Language Acquisition. The first chapter yields broad over-view
of the origin of language spanning from the divine source to the genetic
source. It is a great starter because students find these ideas interesting,
and love to engage in scholarly discussion. Next chapter discusses
neurolinguistics in detail. Chapter 13, outlines children’s age with
simultaneous language development. Finally, chapter 14 discusses the
differences between language acquisition and learning, followed by the
acquisition barrier (e.g., age factor, affective factors, etc.) and short
history of SLA teaching methodologies, and reforms. The transition between the
chapters is smooth, with innumerable talking points that grab readers’
attention persistently.
Know
your language includes, Chapter 3: The Sounds of Language; Chapter 4: The Sound Patterns of Language;
Chapter 5: Word Formation; and Chapter 6: Morphology. In this section,
readers get to know sound system used in English language, place and manner of
articulation, including voicing, which
help them realize the correct ways of uttering specific English sound. Readers
also get information about how a sound is affected by other sounds around it
(co-articulation effect), or when it combines with them (phones/allophones,
diphthongs), and why we utter certain sounds differently in everyday use of
language [e.g., /t/ in tar, butter etc.]. Once readers know the minute
underpinnings of sound system in English, they get to learn existing word
formation practices (e.g., borrowing, clipping, etc.). Morphology and its
various types are discussed in the last chapter of this section which is deemed
as an important aspect of language learning, teaching, and research.
Study
of Grammar and beyond incorporates, Chapter
7: Grammar; Chapter 8: Syntax; Chapter 9: Semantics; Chapter 10: Pragmatics; and Chapter 11: Discourse Analysis. This
section unfolds with the introduction of the traditional grammar, parts of
speech, and agreements, and ultimately draws readers’ attention towards descriptive
approach in grammar. Allowing his readers understanding prescriptive and
descriptive approaches, Yule, help readers distinguish them without significant
effort. What follows is the detailed discussion of descriptive approach in
teaching/learning syntax (e.g., deep, and surface structures) and its
effectiveness in the light of generative grammar. In addition, Yule includes a
discussion of meaning making procedures in terms of semantic features, semantic
roles, and lexical relations. Reading trough these topics, a reader becomes
aware of the fact that how these things matter in communication, how skillfully
we engage in these activities. This section also discusses pragmatics and
discourse analysis that enable readers strengthen their linguistic premises and
understand meaning in everyday communication beyond semantics (e.g., context,
reference, presupposition, etc.). A thorough reading of this section enables
readers to successfully decode incomplete, grammatically incorrect, and even
fragmented linguistic prompt and understand them, an important premises for the
teachers of ELs.
Language Variation consists of Chapter 18: Regional Variation in Language;
Chapter 19: Social Variation in Language;
and Chapter 20: Language and Culture.
Somewhat related, these chapters make readers aware of variation of English
language among speech communities based on region, culture, socio-economic
status, gender, ethnicity, and contexts. They also highlight various crucial
aspects associated with speech communities like standard and vernacular
languages, accent and dialect, isogloss and dialectology, official language and
language planning, pidgin and creole languages, speech style and shifting,
register and jargon, linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity etc.
The final category ‘other’ includes, Chapter 2: Animals
and Human Language; Chapter 15:
Gesture and Sign Language; Chapter
16: Written Language; and Chapter 17:
Language History and Change. This section draws readers’ attention towards
the development of human language, change overtime, and its oral, written, and
other mediums.
The
potential audience of this book includes, but not limited to, the K-12
content-area teachers, teacher trainers, TESOL professionals, pre-service
teachers, ELs, and their families. There is enough information for anyone who
wants to learn English language, and interestingly, it does not require any
assistance or background knowledge to be able to comprehend this book. Every
chapter is followed by three exercises, and a further reading section. The
follow-up exercise section includes ‘Study
Questions’ directly drawn from the chapter. The ‘Tasks’ portion includes few data-based questions, which link the
chapter to similar concept that requires higher cognition, and quick research
to engage readers in empirical undertakings. It is followed ‘discussion
topics/projects’, which require comparatively longer time, and probably a team
effort. Teachers can directly assign these clearly instructed projects as final
individual assignment or weekly team-work tasks. In addition, Yule provides a
list of references for further studies which adds to the pedagogical value of
this book. From pedagogical standpoint the author has taken extensive efforts
to compose this book to reach readers of diverse range.
Wide
area (e.g., language origin, grammar, cultural variation in language, to sign
language) covered by this book makes it unique in that readers get to
acknowledge the core structure of language (form) and their various uses in
human life (function). Many authors enjoy organizing topics by the theme, or
analytic approaches but Yule abstains himself, and leaves it up to the prudence
of the readers, learners, and their teachers. It affords teachers an
opportunity to approach this book as dictated by their course objectives and
students’ needs.
Finally,
the quality of presentation makes this book an excellent text. Every chapter
begins with an interesting quote (e.g., time
flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana) followed by the author’s
perception and explanation, which sets tone for the chapter. Author uses plenty
of analogies (e.g., doing semantics is
attempting to spell out ...), everyday examples (e.g., ‘dogs’ in our experience…) to enhance comprehension and attract
readers finish the chapter. It uses various topographical styles (e.g., topics,
sub-topics, are slightly larger and are bold-faced, straight line to separate
topics, shaded pages for exercise section, etc.) to help readers keep track of
their readings. Thus, the book makes unique contribution by offering powerful
and complete synopsis of the key analytic concern in the field of TESOL in very
clear and concise manner.
Reviewed by
NIRMAL
GHIMIRE
College of
Education and Human Performance, University of Central Florida
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