Questions About Language

<p><em>Questions About Language </em>sets out to answer in a readable yet insightful format a series of vital questions about language some of which language specialists are regularly asked and some of which are so surprising that only the specialists think about them.</p><p>In this handy guide sixteen language experts answer challenging questions about language from <em>What makes a language a language?</em> to <em>Do people swear because they don’t know enough words?</em> Illustrating the complexity of human language and the way in which we use it the twelve chapters each end with a section on further reading for anyone interested in following up on the topic.</p><p>Covering core questions about language this is essential reading for both students new to language and linguistics and the interested general reader.</p>