Patterns of Language
"It seems to me the best current text of its kind; teachers will find it a pleasure to use. The book reflects several of Burling's special strengths: his long experience in teaching this topic, his expert knowledge of current developments in the field; his first-hand research in such interdisciplinary fields as social dialect, and his anthropologist's emphasis on the cultural context of language. The focus is balanced and coherent; the perspective is up-to-date without falling into trendiness; the examples are a pleasing mix of material from familiar languages and from interestingly exotic ones. The writing is graceful and clear."--William Bright, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, Boulder --Review"It seems to me the best current text of its kind; teachers will find it a pleasure to use. The book reflects several of Burling's special strengths: his long experience in teaching this topic, his expert knowledge of current developments in the field; his first-hand research in such interdisciplinary fields as social dialect, and his anthropologist's emphasis on the cultural context of language. The focus is balanced and coherent; the perspective is up-to-date without falling into trendiness; the examples are a pleasing mix of material from familiar languages and from interestingly exotic ones. The writing is graceful and clear."--William Bright, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, Boulder