Linguistics is a comprehensive cross-linguistic introduction to the study of language. The structure of the book is set up to allow readers to keep digging deeper into how language works, from the largest to the smallest units of language, in the following order:

*discourse
*sentences
*words
*sounds

The book also introduces psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic issues, including language acquisition, neurolinguistics, language variation, language change, language contact, and multilingualism. A major feature of this introduction is the cross-linguistic data it includes, providing examples from more than 140 different spoken and signed languages.

Highly organised in a readable format, and supplemented by many figures and tables, each chapter includes bolded terms, summaries, self-tests and assignments, as well as suggestions for further reading. Based on the bestselling Dutch edition of this work, the English edition has been revised and expanded to offer an up-to-date and engaging survey of linguistics for students new to the field.