Best Books, Education, Language & Writing, Nonfiction

The Best Books About Language & Linguists

“What are the best books about Language & Linguists?” We looked at 317 of the top books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

It is easy to forget how crazy, weird and unique Language is. For example, the random assortment of repeating symbols being typed out here are known as words and sentences which we see with our eyes and interprut as the vocal sounds used to express ideas, intent, and thought by humans. How this works, the history and education of language, and everything else you could possibly want to learn about language and linguistics can be found in one of the books listed below.

The top 27 books about language, all appearing on 2 or more lists, are ranked below with images, descriptions, and links to learn more or purchase. The remaining 275+ titles, as well as the articles we used, are listed alphabetically at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!



Top Language and Linguist Books



27 .) A Course in General Linguistics by Ferdinand de Saussure

Lists It Appears On:

  • RICE
  • Goodreads

The Cours de linguistique generale, reconstructed from students’ notes after Saussure’s death in 1913, founded modern linguistic theory by breaking the study of language free from a merely historical and comparativist approach. Saussure’s new method, now known as Structuralism, has since been applied to such diverse areas as art, architecture, folklore, literary criticism, and philosophy.

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26 .) A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar by Rodney Huddleston, Geoffrey K. Pullum

Lists It Appears On:

  • Danny Reviews
  • UCLA

This groundbreaking undergraduate textbook on modern Standard English grammar is the first to be based on the revolutionary advances of the authors’ previous work, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002). The text is intended for students in colleges or universities who have little or no previous background in grammar, and presupposes no linguistics. It contains exercises, and will provide a basis for introductions to grammar and courses on the structure of English, not only in linguistics departments but also in English language and literature departments and schools of education.

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25 .) Aspects of the Theory of Syntax by Noam Chomsky

Lists It Appears On:

  • Five Books
  • RICE

“Noam Chomsky’s Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, published in 1965, was a landmark work in generative grammar that introduced certain technical innovations still drawn upon in contemporary work. The fiftieth anniversary edition of this influential book includes a new preface by the author that identifies proposals that seem to be of lasting significance, reviews changes and improvements in the formulation and implementation of basic ideas, and addresses some of the controversies that arose over the general framework.

Beginning in the mid-fifties and emanating largely from MIT, linguists developed an approach to linguistic theory and to the study of the structure of particular languages that diverged in many respects from conventional modern linguistics. Although the new approach was connected to the traditional study of languages, it differed enough in its specific conclusions about the structure of language to warrant a name, “”generative grammar.”” Various deficiencies were discovered in the first attempts to formulate a theory of transformational generative grammar and in the descriptive analysis of particular languages that motivated these formulations. At the same time, it became apparent that these formulations can be extended and deepened. In this book, Chomsky reviews these developments and proposes a reformulation of the theory of transformational generative grammar that takes them into account. The emphasis in this study is syntax; semantic and phonological aspects of the language structure are discussed only insofar as they bear on syntactic theory.”

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24 .) Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio

Lists It Appears On:

  • Online College
  • Goodreads

An ancient title of respect for women, the word “cunt” long ago veered off this noble path. Inga Muscio traces the road from honor to expletive, giving women the motivation and tools to claim “cunt” as a positive and powerful force in their lives. In this fully revised edition, she explores, with candidness and humor, such traditional feminist issues as birth control, sexuality, jealousy between women, and prostitution with a fresh attitude for a new generation of women. Sending out a call for every woman to be the Cuntlovin’ Ruler of Her Sexual Universe, Muscio stands convention on its head by embracing all things cunt-related.

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23 .) Don’t Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett

Lists It Appears On:

  • Online College
  • Goodreads

A riveting account of the astonishing experiences and discoveries made by linguist Daniel Everett while he lived with the Pirahã, a small tribe of Amazonian Indians in central Brazil. Daniel Everett arrived among the Pirahã with his wife and three young children hoping to convert the tribe to Christianity. Everett quickly became obsessed with their language and its cultural and linguistic implications. The Pirahã have no counting system, no fixed terms for color, no concept of war, and no personal property. Everett was so impressed with their peaceful way of life that he eventually lost faith in the God he’d hoped to introduce to them, and instead devoted his life to the science of linguistics. Part passionate memoir, part scientific exploration, Everett’s life-changing tale is riveting look into the nature of language, thought, and life itself.

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22 .) Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

Lists It Appears On:

  • Online College
  • Goodreads

“In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Lynne Truss, gravely concerned about our current grammatical state, boldly defends proper punctuation. She proclaims, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. Using examples from literature, history, neighborhood signage, and her own imagination, Truss shows how meaning is shaped by commas and apostrophes, and the hilarious consequences of punctuation gone awry.

Featuring a foreword by Frank McCourt, and interspersed with a lively history of punctuation from the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, Eats, Shoots & Leaves makes a powerful case for the preservation of proper punctuation.”

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21 .) Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler

Lists It Appears On:

  • Online College
  • Goodreads

Nicholas Ostler’s Empires of the Word is the first history of the world’s great tongues, gloriously celebrating the wonder of words that binds communities together and makes possible both the living of a common history and the telling of it. From the uncanny resilience of Chinese through twenty centuries of invasions to the engaging self-regard of Greek and to the struggles that gave birth to the languages of modern Europe, these epic achievements and more are brilliantly explored, as are the fascinating failures of once “universal” languages. A splendid, authoritative, and remarkable work, it demonstrates how the language history of the world eloquently reveals the real character of our planet’s diverse peoples and prepares us for a linguistic future full of surprises.

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20 .) Essential Introductory Linguistics by Grover Hudson

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Linguistics Network

This is a new kind of textbook for courses in introductory linguistics. It makes clear what is important or essential, and omits what is not. It is strictly selective, highly structured, focused, to-the-point and informative. It presents material in a way that mirrors the structure of a typical semester of teaching, and integrates many exercises into the text.

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19 .) Far from the Madding Gerund: And Other Dispatches from Language Log by Mark Liberman and Geoffrey Pullum

Lists It Appears On:

  • Chicago Tribune
  • Goodreads

“Mark Liberman and Geoffrey K. Pullum have collected some of their most insightful and amusing material from Language Log, their popular web site. Often irreverent and hilarious, these brief essays take on many sacred cows, showing us–among many things–why Strunk & White is useless, how the College Board can’t identify sentence errors in the SAT, and what makes Dan Brown one of the worst prose stylists in the business.
There is plenty here to inspire deeper thoughts as well. Why do Pete Rose’s statements fall short of saying “”I’m sorry,”” and can we learn how to apologize by analyzing his mistakes? Is there such a thing as mind-reading fatigue? What is the meaning of “”pluralism”” and “”Yankeehood””?

Language Log is a site where serious professional linguists go to have fun. There’s plenty of fun and plenty to get you thinking about language in new ways in this collection.”

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18 .) Foundations of Language: Brain, Meaning, Grammar, Evolution by Ray S. Jackendoff

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • RICE

“How does human language work? How do we put ideas into words that others can understand? Can linguistics shed light on the way the brain operates?

Foundations of Language puts linguistics back at the centre of the search to understand human consciousness. Ray Jackendoff begins by surveying the developments in linguistics over the years since Noam Chomsky’s Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. He goes on to propose a radical re-conception of how the brain processes language. This opens up vivid new perspectives on every major aspect of language and communication, including grammar, vocabulary, learning, the origins of human
language, and how language relates to the real world. Foundations of Language makes important connections with other disciplines which have been isolated from linguistics for many years. It sets a new agenda for close cooperation between the study of language, mind, the brain, behaviour, and evolution.”

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17 .) Introductory Phonology by Bruce Hayes

Lists It Appears On:

  • UCLA
  • Linguistics Network

Accessible, succinct, and including numerous student-friendly features, this introductory textbook offers an exceptional foundation to the field for those who are coming to it for the first time.

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16 .) Language Death by David Crystal

Lists It Appears On:

  • Danny Reviews
  • Goodreads

The rapid endangerment and death of many minority languages across the world is a matter of widespread concern, not only among linguists and anthropologists but among all concerned with issues of cultural identity in an increasingly globalized culture. By some counts, only 600 of the 6,000 or so languages in the world are ‘safe’ from the threat of extinction. A leading commentator and popular writer on language issues, David Crystal asks the fundamental question, ‘why is language death so important?’, reviews the reasons for the current crisis, and investigates what is being done to reduce its impact. This book contains not only intelligent argument, but moving descriptions of the decline and demise of particular languages, and practical advice for anyone interested in pursuing the subject further.

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15 .) Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

Lists It Appears On:

  • Five Books
  • RICE

Edward Sapir was an American anthropologist-linguist, and is widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of linguistics. Today he is most widely known for his contributions to the study of North American Indian languages. A founder of ethno-linguistics, which considers the relationship of culture to language, he was also a principal developer of the American (descriptive) school of structural linguistics.

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14 .) Old English and its Closest Relatives by Orrin W. Robinson

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Danny Reviews

“At first glance, there may seem little reason to think of English and German as variant forms of a single language. There are enormous differences between the two in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, and a monolingual speaker of one cannot understand the other at all. Yet modern English and German have many points in common, and if we go back to the earliest texts available in the two languages, the similarities are even more notable.
How do we account for these similarities? The generally accepted explanation is that English and German are divergent continuations of a common ancestor, a Germanic language now lost. This book surveys the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of the earliest kown Germanic languages, members of what has traditionally been known as the English family tree: Gothic, Old Norse, Old Saxon, Old English, Old Frisian, Old Low Franconian, and Old High German.
For each language, the author provides a brief history of the people who spoke it, an overview of the important texts in the language, sample passages with full glossary and word-by-word translations, a section on orthography and grammar, and discussion of linguistic or philological topics relevant to all the early Germanic languaes but best exemplified by the particular language under consideration. These topics inclued the pronunciation of older languages; the runic inscriptions; Germanic alliterative pietry; historical syntax, borrowing, analogy, and drift; textual transmission; and dialect variation.”

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13 .) Spoken Here: Travels among Threatened Languages by Mark Abley

Lists It Appears On:

  • Online College
  • RICE

In Spoken Here, Mark Abley takes us on a world tour from the Arctic Circle to Oklahoma to Australia in a fervent quest to document some of the world’s most endangered languages. His mission is urgent: Of the six thousand languages spoken in the world today, only six hundred may survive into the next century. Abley visits the exotic and frequently remote locales that are home to fading languages and constructs engaging and entertaining portraits of some of the last living speakers of these tongues. Throughout this exhilarating travelogue, he points out that the same forces that put biological species at risk — development, globalization, loss of habitat — are also threatening human languages, and with them, something very basic about their speakers’ cultures.

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12 .) The Languages of the World by Kenneth Katzner

Lists It Appears On:

  • Danny Reviews
  • MIT

“Written with the non-specialist in mind, its user-friendly style and layout, delightful original passages, and exotic scripts, will continue to fascinate the reader. This new edition has been thoroughly revised to include more languages, more countries, and up-to-date data on populations.
Features include:
*information on nearly 600 languages
*individual descriptions of 200 languages, with sample passages and English translations
*concise notes on where each language is spoken, its history, alphabet and pronunciation
*coverage of every country in the world, its main language and speaker numbers
*an introduction to language families”

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11 .) The Origin of Language: Tracing the Evolution of the Mother Tongue by Merritt Ruhlen

Lists It Appears On:

  • MIT
  • Goodreads

“The Origin of Language
A critically acclaimed journey back through time in search of the Mother Tongue and the roots of the human family”

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10 .) The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter

Lists It Appears On:

  • Online College
  • Goodreads

There are approximately six thousand languages on Earth today, each a descendant of the tongue first spoken by Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago. While laying out how languages mix and mutate over time, linguistics professor John McWhorter reminds us of the variety within the species that speaks them, and argues that, contrary to popular perception, language is not immutable and hidebound, but a living, dynamic entity that adapts itself to an ever-changing human environment.

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9 .) The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker

Lists It Appears On:

  • Brain Pickings
  • Goodreads

Bestselling author Steven Pinker possesses that rare combination of scientific aptitude and verbal eloquence that enables him to provide lucid explanations of deep and powerful ideas. His previous books – including the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Blank Slate – have catapulted him into the limelight as one of today’s most important popular science writers. In The Stuff of Thought, Pinker presents a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. Considering scientific questions with examples from everyday life, The Stuff of Thought is a brilliantly crafted and highly readable work that will appeal to fans of everything from The Selfish Gene and Blink to Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

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8 .) A History of the English Language by Albert C. Baugh

Lists It Appears On:

  • Danny Reviews
  • Goodreads
  • The Guardian

A History of the English Language explores the linguistic and cultural development of English from the Roman conquest of England to the present day to provide a comprehensive overview of the different aspects of its history. This best-selling classic textbook has been revised and updated and encourages the reader to develop both an understanding of present-day English and an enlightened attitude toward the issues affecting the language today.

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7 .) An Introduction to Historical Linguistics by Terry Crowley

Lists It Appears On:

  • Danny Reviews
  • Goodreads
  • RICE

All languages change, just as other aspects of human society are constantly changing. This book is an introduction to the concepts and techniques of diachronic linguistics, the study of language change over time. It covers all themajor areas of historical linguistics, presenting concepts in a clear and concise way. Examples are given from a wide range of languages, with special emphasis on the languages of Australia and the Pacific. While the needs of undergraduate students of linguistics have been kept firmly in mind, the book will also be of interest to the general reader seeking to understand langauge and language change.

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6 .) Language by Leonard Bloomfield

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Linguistics Network
  • RICE

First published in Great Britain in 1935, this Routledge Revival reissues one of the most influential works ever published in the field of linguistics. Leonard Bloomfield’s Language is both a masterpiece of textbook writing and a classic of academic scholarship, which examines the fundamentals of language and linguistics in a clear, precise manner. Intended as an introduction to the field of linguistics, for both the general reader and for students of linguistics, this detailed study covers a breadth of topics, ranging from: world languages, phonetic structure and syntax, through to morphology, semantics and dialectics.

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5 .) Language Myths by Laurie Bauer & Peter Trudgill

Lists It Appears On:

  • Danny Reviews
  • Fluent U
  • RICE

A unique collection of original essays by 21 of the world’s leading linguists. The topics discussed focus on some of the most popular myths about language: The Media Are Ruining English; Children Can’t Speak or Write Properly Anymore; America is Ruining the English Language. The tone is lively and entertaining throughout and there are cartoons from Doonesbury andThe Wizard of Id to illustrate some of the points. The book should have a wide readership not only amongst students who want to read leading linguists writing about popular misconceptions but also amongst the large number of people who enjoy reading about language in general.

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4 .) Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff

Lists It Appears On:

  • Online College
  • Goodreads
  • RICE

The now-classic Metaphors We Live By changed our understanding of metaphor and its role in language and the mind. Metaphor, the authors explain, is a fundamental mechanism of mind, one that allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide understanding of countless other subjects. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understandings of our experience, they are “metaphors we live by”—metaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without our ever noticing them.

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3 .) The Unfolding Of Language by Guy Deutscher

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Online College
  • RICE

“Blending the spirit of Eats, Shoots & Leaves with the science of The Language Instinct, an original inquiry into the development of that most essential-and mysterious-of human creations: Language

Language is mankind’s greatest invention-except, of course, that it was never invented.”” So begins linguist Guy Deutscher’s enthralling investigation into the genesis and evolution of language. If we started off with rudimentary utterances on the level of “”man throw spear,”” how did we end up with sophisticated grammars, enormous vocabularies, and intricately nuanced degrees of meaning?

Drawing on recent groundbreaking discoveries in modern linguistics, Deutscher exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication, giving us fresh insight into how language emerges, evolves, and decays. He traces the evolution of linguistic complexity from an early “”Me Tarzan”” stage to such elaborate single-word constructions as the Turkish sehirlilestiremediklerimizdensiniz (“”you are one of those whom we couldn’t turn into a town dweller””). Arguing that destruction and creation in language are intimately entwined, Deutscher shows how these processes are continuously in operation, generating new words, new structures, and new meanings.”

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2 .) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language by David Crystal

Lists It Appears On:

  • Danny Reviews
  • MIT
  • Goodreads
  • The Guardian

This new, thoroughly revised edition of the acclaimed Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language incorporates the major developments in language study which have taken place since the mid 1990s. Two main new areas have been added: the rise of electronic communication in all its current forms from email to texting, and the crisis affecting the world’s languages, of which half are thought to be so seriously endangered that they will die out this century. • All language statistics have been updated, and additional information provided about their linguistic affiliation • All topics involving technology have been revised to take account of recent developments, notably in phonetics, language disability, and computing • Maps have been revised to include new countries or country names • Special attention has been paid to fast-moving areas such as language teaching and learning

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1 .) The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven Pinker

Lists It Appears On:

  • Danny Reviews
  • Fluent U
  • MIT
  • Online College
  • Goodreads
  • RICE

In this classic, the world’s expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America.

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The Additional Best Language Books



 

#BookAuthorLists
(Books Appear On 1 List Each)
28A Comprehensive Grammar of the English LanguageRandolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, Jan SvartvikThe Guardian
29A Concise Guide To PsycholinguisticsStanislaw PuppelGoodreads
30A Course in Modern LinguisticsCharles F HockettRICE
31A Course in PhoneticsPeter LadefogedGoodreads
32A Guide to the World’s LanguagesMerritt RuhlenMIT
33A History of GermanJoseph SalmonsDanny Reviews
34A Primer of Romance PhilologyJ. Keith AtkinsonDanny Reviews
35A Short History of Linguistics, 4th edR RobinsRICE
36Adam’s Tongue: How Humans Made Language, How Language Made HumansDerek BickertonGoodreads
37Ageing in Africa: Sociolinguistic and anthropological approachesPenn State
38Algemene taalwetenschapSimon DikGoodreads
39All About Words: An Adult Approach to Vocabulary BuildingMaxwell NurnbergGoodreads
40All That MattersEdgar A. (Edgar Albert) GuestBook Content Ratings
41An Introduction to Cognitive LinguisticsFriedrich and Hans-Jorg Schmid UngererRICE
42An Introduction to GrammarL. LaPalombaraLinguistics Network
43An Introduction to LanguageVictoria A. FromkinGoodreads
44An Introduction to Old EnglishRichard HoggDanny Reviews
45An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles*John HolmDanny Reviews
46An Introduction to Sociolinguistics</An Introduction to Sociolinguistics</Linguistics Network
47An Introduction to SyntaxRobert D van ValinRICE
48Analysing Sociolinguistic VariationSali TagliamonteChicago Tribune
49Archaeology, Language, and HistoryJohn Edward TerrellDanny Reviews
50At War With Pontiac Or, the Totem of the Bear; A Tale of Redcoat and RedskinKirk Munroe, Joseph FinnemoreBook Content Ratings
51Bastard Tongues: A Trailblazing Linguist Finds Clues to Our Common Humanity in the World’s Lowliest LanguagesDerek BickertonGoodreads
52Ben Comee a Tale of Rogers’s Rangers, 1758-59M. J. (Michael Joseph) CanavanBook Content Ratings
53Black Linguistics: Language, Society and Politics in Africa and the AmericasPenn State
54Blackout: A Chooseable Path…G K Gilbert, Genevieve V Deguzman (Editor)Alibris
55Book of Illustrations : Ancient TragedySophocles, Richard Green Moulton, Aeschylus, EuripidesBook Content Ratings
56British or American English? A Handbook of Word and Grammar PatternsJohn AlgeoChicago Tribune
57Check Your Vocabulary for…Jon Marks, Alison WooderAlibris
58Child Language: Acquisition and GrowthBarbara LustChicago Tribune
59Children’s Classics in Dramatic Form a Reader for the Fourth GradeAugusta StevensonBook Content Ratings
60China, Empire of the Written Symbol**Cecilia LindqvistDanny Reviews
61Chomsky: Ideas and IdealsUCLA
62Cobwebs and CablesHesba StrettonBook Content Ratings
63Code-SwitchingPenelope Gardner-ChlorosGoodreads
64Collocation: Applications and…G Barnbrook, O MasonAlibris
65Collocations and Other…Sergi Torner Castells (Editor), Elisenda Bernal Gallen (Editor)Alibris
66Computational Methods for Corpus Annotation and AnalysisPenn State
67Concessive Relation in Spoken Discourse: A Study Into Academic Spoken EnglishAndrzej YdaGoodreads
68Constructions: A Construction Grammar Approach to Argument StructureAdele GoldbergRICE
69Contemporary Linguistic Analysis: An Introduction (7th edition)W. O’Grady &amp; J. ArchibaldLinguistics Network
70Contemporary Study Abroad and Foreign Language Learning: An activist’s guidebook for language educatorsPenn State
71Conversation AnalysisLanguage & Linguistics
72Critical Academic Writing and Multilingual StudentsPenn State
73Culture, Body, and Language: Conceptualizations of internal body organs across cultures and languagesPenn State
74Daddy-Long-LegsJean WebsterBook Content Ratings
75DaisySusan WarnerBook Content Ratings
76De Turkey and De Law a Comedy in Three ActsZora Neale HurstonBook Content Ratings
77Deconstruction and CriticismHarold BloomGoodreads
78Dialogue and Dementia: Cognitive and communicative resources for engagementPenn State
79Dialogue with Bakhtin on Second and Foreign Language LearningPenn State
80Discourse Analysis: Putting our worlds into wordsPenn State
81Disinventing and Reconstituting LanguagesPenn State
82Elements of Acoustic Phonetics</Elements of Acoustic Phonetics</Linguistics Network
83Embodiment via Body Parts: Studies from various languages and culturesPenn State
84English as a Global LanguageDavid CrystalDanny Reviews
85English Collocation Studies:…John McHardy Sinclair, Robert DaleyAlibris
86English Collocations in UseMichael McCarthy, Felicity O’DellAlibris
87English with an Accent: Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United StatesRosina Lippi-GreenGoodreads
88Essays in LinguisticsJoseph H GreenbergRICE
89FAINT PRAISEGRACE POOLOnline College
90Family Words: A Dictionary of the Secret Language of FamiliesPaul DicksonChicago Tribune
91Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget ItGabriel WynerFluent U
92Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the WorldBenny LewisFluent U
93Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of LanguageKeith Allan and Kate BurridgeChicago Tribune
94From Body to Meaning in Culture: Papers on cognitive semantic studies of ChinesePenn State
95GermanSarah M.B. FaganDanny Reviews
96Grammar as ScienceUCLA
97GRAMMAR GIRL’S 101 MISUSED WORDS YOU’LL NEVER CONFUSE AGAINMIGNON FOGARTYOnline College
98Grammar: A Student’s GuideUCLA
99Grammaticalization, 2nd edPaul J and Elizabeth Closs Traugott HopperRICE
100Handbook of Discourse Processes</Handbook of Discourse Processes</Linguistics Network
101Het verhaal van een taal: negen eeuwen NederlandsJan W. de VriesGoodreads
102High Definition: An A to Z Guide to Personal Technologyeditors of the American Heritage DictionariesChicago Tribune
103Historische Grammatica van het NederlandsMoritz SchönfeldGoodreads
104How children learn languageUCLA
105How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or DieDavid CrystalGoodreads
106How Languages Are LearnedPatsy Lightbown and Nina SpadaFluent U
107How to Learn a Foreign LanguagePaul Pimsleur Ph.D.Fluent U
108How to Learn a New Language with a Used BrainLynn McBrideFluent U
109How to Learn Any LanguageBarry M. FarberFluent U
110How to Learn Any Language in a Few Months While Enjoying Yourself: 45 Proven Tips for Language LearnersNate NicholsonFluent U
111I Never Knew There Was a Word For ItAdam Jacot de BoinodGoodreads
112I’m Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears and Other Intriguing Idioms From Around the WorldJag BhallaBrain Pickings
113IdeogramJ. Marshall UngerDanny Reviews
114Idioms and Collocations:…Christiane Fellbaum (Editor)Alibris
115IN OTHER WORDSC. J. MooreBrain Pickings
116Introduction to Government and Binding TheoryUCLA
117Introduction to Old EnglishPeter BakerChicago Tribune
118Introduction to Semantics: An Essential Guide to the Composition of MeaningUCLA
119Islam and English in the Post-9/11 EraPenn State
120Iz Lekcii Po Teorii Slovesnosti: Basnja; Poslovica; PogovorkaAleksander PotebnjaGoodreads
121KANT AND THE PLATYPUSUMBERTO ECOOnline College
122Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and SocietyRaymond WilliamsBrain Pickings
123Kollokationen ALS…Jens BahnsAlibris
124Kollokationen Und…Andrea LehrAlibris
125L2 Interactional Competence and DevelopmentPenn State
126Labels for Locals: What to Call People from Abilene to ZimbabwePaul DicksonChicago Tribune
127Language and Aging in Multilingual ContextsPenn State
128Language and GenderMary TalbotLanguage & Linguistics
129Language and LinguisticsJohn LyonsGoodreads
130Language and Responsibility: Based on Conversations with Mitsou RonatNoam ChomskyGoodreads
131Language and the InternetDavid CrystalDanny Reviews
132Language and the MindJohn FieldGoodreads
133Language Change: Progress or Decay?Jean AitchisonGoodreads
134Language Development Over the LifespanPenn State
135Language Diversity Endangered,Matthias BrenzingerChicago Tribune
136Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and LinguisticsLinguistics Network
137Language In Relation To A Unified Theory Of The Structure Of Human BehaviourKenneth PikeFive Books
138Language Learning and Study Abroad: A critical reading of researchPenn State
139Language Learning in Study Abroad: Case studies of Americans in FrancePenn State
140Language PlayDavid CrystalDanny Reviews
141Language UniversalsJoseph H. GreenbergGoodreads
142Language Universals and Linguistic Typology: Syntax and Morphology, 2nd edBernard ComrieRICE
143Language Variation and Change in the American Midland: A New Look at `Heartland’ English,Thomas Murray and Beth Lee SimonChicago Tribune
144Language, Its Structure and Use (Fifth Edition)Finegan, EdwardLinguistics Network
145Languages and Their SpeakersTimothy ShopenRICE
146Languages and Their StatusTimothy ShopenRICE
147Languages of the World: An IntroductionAsya PereltsvaigGoodreads
148Learn Any Language FAST! – The Ultimate Guide to Speed Up Your Language Learning Curve By Tricking Your BrainDagny TaggartFluent U
149Linguistic Categorization, 3rd edJohn R TaylorRICE
150Linguistics An Introduction</Linguistics An Introduction</Linguistics Network
151Linguistics in America 1769 1924Julie AndresenGoodreads
152Linguistics Terms and ConceptsGeoffrey FinchGoodreads
153Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and CommunicationAkmajian, Adrian, and Richard A. Demers, Ann K. Farmer, Robert M. HarnishLinguistics Network
154Linguistics: An introduction to linguistic theoryFromkin, Victoria A.Linguistics Network
155Literacy as Translingual Practice Between Communities and ClassroomsPenn State
156LITERALLY, THE BEST LANGUAGE BOOK EVERPAUL YEAGEROnline College
157Making It Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive CommitmentRobert BrandomFive Books
158Man’s Search for MeaningViktor E. FranklGoodreads
159Masters of the Word: How Media Shaped HistoryWilliam J. BernsteinGoodreads
160Mental Spaces: Aspects of Meaning Construction in Natural LanguageGilles FauconnierGoodreads
161Mindful L2 Teacher EducationPenn State
162Mixed Methods: Interviews, Surveys, and Cross-Cultural ComparisonsPenn State
163MOTHER TONGUEJOEL DAVISOnline College
164Mother TongueBill BrysonThe Guardian
165Music, Language, and the Brain*Aniruddh D. PatelDanny Reviews
166Names in Focus: An Introduction to Finnish OnomasticsTerhi AinialaGoodreads
167Negative Contexts:…Ton Van Der WoudenAlibris
168Next of Kin: My Conversations with ChimpanzeesRoger FoutsGoodreads
169Noam ChomskyRobert F. BarskyDanny Reviews
170Of GrammatologyJacques DerridaGoodreads
171On Language: The Diversity of Human Language-structure and its Influence on the Mental Development of MankindWilhelm HumboldtRICE
172On the Essence of Language: The Metaphysics of Language and the Essencing of the Word; Concerning Herder’s Treatise on the Origin of LanguageMartin HeideggerGoodreads
173On the Origin of LanguagesMerritt RuhlenMIT
174On Understanding GrammarTalmy GivónFive Books
175On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing NonfictionWilliam ZinsserGoodreads
176ORIGINS OF THE SPECIOUSSTEWART KELLERMAN AND PATRICIA T. O’CONNOROnline College
177Our LanguageSimeon PotterGoodreads
178Oxford Collocations…Oxford University Press (Creator)Alibris
179Patterns in the Mind: Language and Human NatureJackendoff, RayLinguistics Network
180Pengantar Sosiologi Sastra: Dari Strukturalisme Genetik sampai Post-modernismeFaruk H.T.Goodreads
181Philosophy of GrammarOtto JespersonRICE
182Phonology and Language UseJoan L BybeeRICE
183Proust’s EnglishDaniel KarlinChicago Tribune
184Quantum Anthropology: Man, Cultures, and Groups in a Quantum PerspectiveRadek Trnka, Radmila LorencovaGoodreads
185Race, Language, and CultureFranz BoasRICE
186Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and PracticePenn State
187Relevance: Communication and CognitionUCLA
188Relevant LinguisticsRelevant Linguistics</Linguistics Network
189Research on Second Language Teacher Education: A Sociocultural Perspective on Professional DevelopmentPenn State
190Researching Collocations in…Andy Barfield, Henrik GyllstadAlibris
191Resisting Linguistic Imperialism in English TeachingPenn State
192Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and PhrasesThe Guardian
193Sacred SpeakersSimeon D. BaumelDanny Reviews
194Searching for Aboriginal Languages: Memoirs of a Field WorkerRobert M DixonRICE
195Second and Foreign Language Learning Through Classroom InteractionPenn State
196Second Language Teacher Education: A Sociocultural PerspectivePenn State
197SemanticsJ. Saeed, BlackwellLinguistics Network
198Social and Cultural Aspects of Language Learning in Study AbroadPenn State
199Sociocultural Theory and Second Language LearningPenn State
200Sociocultural Theory and the Genesis of Second Language DevelopmentPenn State
201Sociocultural Theory and the Pedagogical Imperative in L2 EducationPenn State
202Sociocultural Theory and the Teaching of Second LanguagesPenn State
203Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and SocietyPeter TrudgillGoodreads
204Sounds of the World’s LanguagesPeter and Ian Maddieson LadefogedRICE
205Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English SpellingDavid CrystalGoodreads
206Standard NegationMatti MiestamoChicago Tribune
207Strategic Research Agenda For Multilingual Europe 2020</Strategic Research Agenda For Multilingual Europe 2020</Linguistics Network
208Studies in the Way of WordsUCLA
209Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional ProseGeoffrey N. LeechGoodreads
210Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial & America’s Continuing Debate Over Science & ReligionEdward J. LarsonGoodreads
211Swallowing Clouds*A. ZeeDanny Reviews
212Syntactic StructuresNoam ChomskyGoodreads
213Syntax: An Introduction, 2nd edTalmy GivónRICE
214Talk and Social TheoryLanguage & Linguistics
215Talking Hands: What Sign Language Reveals about the MindMargalit FoxGoodreads
216Teachers’ Narrative Inquiry as Professional DevelopmentPenn State
217Teaching and Researching: Language and CulturePenn State
218Teaching CollocationMichael Lewis (Editor)Alibris
219Text Structure: A Window into Discourse, Context and MindNelly TinchevaGoodreads
220The ‘Language Instinct’ DebateGeoffrey SampsonRICE
221The Albert Gate Mystery Being Further Adventures of Reginald Brett, Barrister DetectiveLouis TracyBook Content Ratings
222THE ARCHITECTURE OF LANGUAGENOAM CHOMSKYOnline College
223The Articulate Mammal: An Introduction to PsycholinguisticsJean AitchisonGoodreads
224The Atoms of Language The Mind’s Hidden Rules of GrammarBaker, MarkLinguistics Network
225The Battle of Life a Love Story (Christmas Books Series Book 4)Charles DickensBook Content Ratings
226The Boats of the “Glen Carrig” Being an Account of Their Adventures in the Strange Places of the Earth, After the Foundering of the Good Ship Glen Carrig … Very Properly and Legibly to ManuscriptWilliam Hope HodgsonBook Content Ratings
227The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World’s Ancient LanguagesRoger D. WoodardGoodreads
228The Cambridge Guide to English UsagePam PetersThe Guardian
229The Cambridge History of the English LanguageThe Guardian
230The Chinese HEART in a Cognitive Perspective: Culture, body, and languagePenn State
231The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor: A perspective from ChinesePenn State
232The Dawn of Slavic: An Introduction to Slavic PhilologyAlexander M. SchenkerGoodreads
233The Dealings of Captain Sharkey and Other Tales of PiratesArthur Conan DoyleBook Content Ratings
234The Devil’s AsteroidManly Wade WellmanBook Content Ratings
235The Discovery of LanguageHolger PedersenRICE
236The Ecology of Language Evolution*Salikoko S. MufweneDanny Reviews
237THE ELEMENTS OF STYLEWILLIAM STRUNK AND E.B. WHITEOnline College
238The English LanguagesTom McArthurDanny Reviews
239The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English LanguageMark ForsythGoodreads
240The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood’s Journey into the Minds of Serial KillersStephen G. MichaudGoodreads
241The Evolution of Communication*Marc D. HauserDanny Reviews
242The Evolution of Grammar: Tense, Aspect, and Modality in the Languages of the WorldJoan L. BybeeRICE
243THE F-WORD EDITEDJESSE SHEIDLOWEROnline College
244The Five-Minute Linguist: Bite-Sized Essays on Language and LanguagesE.M. RickersonGoodreads
245The Great Eskimo Vocabulary HoaxGeoffrey K. PullumDanny Reviews
246The Handbook of Language and Gender</The Handbook of Language and Gender</Linguistics Network
247The History of the Lithuanian LanguageZigmas ZinkevičiusGoodreads
248The Horologicon: A Day’s Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English LanguageMark ForsythGoodreads
249The Horse, the Wheel and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern WorldDavid W. AnthonyGoodreads
250The Indonesian LanguageJames N SneddonDanny Reviews
251The Innocent Anthropologist: Notes from a Mud HutNigel BarleyRICE
252The Iranian Languages edited by Gernot Windfuhr</The Iranian Languages edited by Gernot Windfuhr</Linguistics Network
253The Language RevolutionLanguage & Linguistics
254The Language Wars: A History of Proper EnglishHenry HitchingsGoodreads
255The Languages of China**S. Robert RamseyDanny Reviews
256The Last Speakers: The Quest to Save the World’s Most Endangered LanguagesK. David HarrisonGoodreads
257The Last Word: The English Language: Opinions and PrejudicesLaurence UrdangGoodreads
258The Lexicography of English: From Origins to PresentHenri BéjointGoodreads
259The Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written EnglishDouglas Biber, Stig Johansson, Geoffrey Leech, Susan Conrad, Edward FineganThe Guardian
260The Loom of Language: An Approach to the Mastery of Many LanguagesFrederick BodmerGoodreads
261The LTP Dictionary of…Jimmie Hill, Michael Lewis (Editor)Alibris
262The Man Who Forgot How To ReadHoward EngelGoodreads
263The Nonverbal Shift in Early Modern English ConversationAxel HublerChicago Tribune
264The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English: A Crunk Omnibus for Thrillionaires and Bampots for the Ecozoic AgeGrant BarrettChicago Tribune
265The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European RootsJoseph Twadell ShipleyGoodreads
266The Origins of MusicNils L. Wallin, et al.Danny Reviews
267The Oxford English DictionaryThe Guardian
268The Oxford History of English,Lynda MugglestoneChicago Tribune
269The Politics of YiddishDov-Ber KerlerDanny Reviews
270The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and BusinessCharles DuhiggGoodreads
271The Prism of GrammarTom RoeperDanny Reviews
272The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and WhenRalph KeyesChicago Tribune
273The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient CodeMargalit FoxGoodreads
274The Ring of WordsPeter Gilliver, et al.Danny Reviews
275The Rise and Fall of LanguagesR.M.W. DixonDanny Reviews
276The Rutledge Companion to Sociolinguistics</The Rutledge Companion to Sociolinguistics</Linguistics Network
277The Snark Handbook: A Reference Guide to Verbal SparringLawrence DorfmanBrain Pickings
278The Sociopolitics of English Language TeachingPenn State
279The Sounds of Language: An Introduction to PhoneticsUCLA
280The Story of EnglishRobert McCrumGoodreads
281The Story of English in 100 WordsDavid CrystalGoodreads
282The Story of FrenchJean-Benoît Nadeau, Julie BarlowDanny Reviews
283The Study of LanguageGeorge YuleGoodreads
284The Syntactic Phenomena of English, 2nd EditionLinguistics Network
285The Thirsty Sword a Story of the Norse Invasion of Scotland (1262-1263)Robert LeightonBook Content Ratings
286The Ukrainian Language in the First Half of the Twentieth Century (1900-1941): Its State and StatusGeorge Y. ShevelovGoodreads
287The Unword Dictionary: 1,000 Words for Things You Didn’t Know Had Words!Steve KiehlChicago Tribune
288The Use of EnglishRandolph QuirkThe Guardian
289The Western Classical Tradition in Linguistics (Equinox Textbooks & Surveys in Linguistics) Second EditionKeith AllanGoodreads
290Thinking SyntacticallyUCLA
291Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other LanguagesGuy DeutscherGoodreads
292Totally Weird and Wonderful WordsErin McKeanChicago Tribune
293Towards an Ecology of World LanguagesLanguage & Linguistics
294Translingual Practice: Global Englishes and Cosmopolitan RelationsPenn State
295Trask’s Historical LinguisticsRobert McColl MillarGoodreads
296Um…: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They MeanMichael ErardGoodreads
297Understanding Communication in Second Language ClassroomsPenn State
298Understanding Language Teaching: Reasoning in ActionPenn State
299Understanding MorphologyMartin HaspelmathRICE
300VANISHING VOICESDANIEL NETTLE AND SUZANNE ROMAINEOnline College
301Vygotskian Approaches to Second Language ResearchPenn State
302We are not French!Maryon McDonaldDanny Reviews
303When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It: The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or WorseBen YagodaGoodreads
304WHY YOU SAY ITWEBB GARRISONOnline College
305Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal About the MindGeorge LakoffGoodreads
306Word and ObjectWillard Van Orman QuineGoodreads
307Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban LegendsDavid WiltonGoodreads
308Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of “Pure” Standard EnglishJohn McWhorterGoodreads
309Words and Rules: The Ingredients of LanguageSteven PinkerFluent U
310Words on FireDovid KatzDanny Reviews
311Words, Words, WordsDavid CrystalChicago Tribune
312Working with Spoken DiscourseDeborah CameronRICE
313Writing and DifferenceJacques DerridaGoodreads
314Writing and Literacy in Chinese, Korean and JapaneseInsup Taylor, M. Martin TaylorDanny Reviews
315Writing SystemsGeoffrey SampsonGoodreads
316Writing Systems of the WorldAkira NakanishiMIT
317Writing Systems*Florian CoulmasDanny Reviews


16 Best Linguist Book Sources/Lists



SourceArticle
Alibris Best Selling Collocation Linguistics Books
Book Content Ratings 15 Best Linguistics Books For Teens
Brain Pickings Words on Words: Five Timelessly Stimulating Books About Language
Chicago Tribune Best books for linguists, word lovers
Danny Reviews linguistics
Five Books Daniel L. Everett recommends the best books on Language and Thought
Fluent U Grab a Book: These 10 Titles Are the Best Language Learning Books Out There
Goodreads Best Books about Linguistics
Language & Linguistics Major Textbooks
Linguistics Network Recommended Books
MIT Recommended Language and Linguistics Books
Online College The 20 Best Books for Language Lovers
Penn State Books
RICE Linguistics
The Guardian David Crystal’s top 10 books on the English language
UCLA Linguistics reading list