Re: History of French

From: Peter T. Daniels (grammatim_at_worldnet.att.net)
Date: 09/15/04 

Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 12:35:12 GMT

Mxsmanic wrote:
>
> Nathan Sanders writes:
>
> > ?!? That's like saying many people never fully grow their
> > fingerprints. Do you know what "native language" means?
>
> In this context, it means the standard language first used by a person
> to communicate with others.
>
> > Yeah, you definitely need to get ahold of a linguistics textbook.
>
> From what I'm reading here, I can safely predict what _modern_
> linguistics textbooks contain.

So you admit to never having read a linguistics textbook.

> Sounds like they've been polluted with
> PC in the same way that every other textbook has.

Why don't you try opening one and showing us some examples?

I don't know what textbooks might be available in France, but the
general volumes by the late André Martinet would be a good place to
start. Or the topical volumes in the "Que sais-je?" series.

If you're able to get books in English, David Crystal's *Cambridge
Encyclopedia of Language* would be a good place to start. If it's too
big for you, try Ronald Macaulay, *The Social Art* (Oxford). Still too
much of a challenge? Try any of Jean Aitchison's books. They're
regularly updated. For the absolute bare minimum there are Larry Trask's
*Language: The Basics* (Routledge) and P. H. Matthews, *Linguistics: A
Very Short Introduction* (Oxford), which is mistitled -- it's about
language, not linguistics. 

-- 
Peter T. Daniels                       grammatim@att.net

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