《语言的结构与运用》是一本普遍语言学入门教程，适合我国语言学、应用语言学方向的大学生、研究生及语言学研究研读。本书的主要目标定位于帮助读者认识语言结构和语言在社会交往中的功能。
本书内容包括三部分：一、语言结构；二、语言使用；三、语言变化、语言发展和语言习得。本书虽然是语言学入门的教程，但是，它所提供的信息量非常大，丰富的内容为学生和教师提供了广阔的选择空间。本书的另一特点是语言研究与信息技术结合。本书每章末尾都专门讨论计算机与该章内容相关的内容，除了提供常规的参考书目，还提供了丰富的、带注释的网络资源。本书深入浅出，例证丰富，脉络清晰，覆盖面广。作为语言学入门的书，作者并不只对语言学做具体的介绍，还注重语言学方法的介绍、前沿问题和研究成果的介绍，使学生和读者从系统地接触语言学的时刻起，就能够跟上语言学的最新发展。纵览全书，可以看出这是一本全面系统、信息量大、通俗易懂、注重基础概念、紧跟学科发展前沿的语言学入门教程。想要进入语言学殿堂的读者，一定不会失望。

Preface
Chapter 1 Languages and Linguistics
What Do You Think?
How the United States Have an Official Language?
English-Only,English Plus,Multilingualism
What Is Human Language?
Theree Faces of a Languatge System
Laguage:Mental and Social
Signs:Arbitrary and Nonarbitrary
Arbitrary Signs
epresentational Signs
Language-A System of Arbitrary Signs
Languages as Patterned Structures
Discreteness
Duality
Speech as Patterned Language Use
The Origin of Languages:Babel to Babble
Languages and Diaiects
What Are Social Dialects?
Different Dialects or Different Languages?
What Is a Standard Variety?
Is There a Right and a Wrong in English Usage?
Modes of Linguistic Communication
Speaking
Writing
Signing
Do Animals Have Language?
How Animals Communicate in Their Natural Environment
Can Chimpanzees Learn a Human Language?
Did Project Nim Fail?
What Is Linguistics?
What are the Branches of Linguistics?
Computers and Linguistics
Summary
What Do You Think?Revisited
Exercises
Especially for Educators and Future Teachers
Othes Resources
Internet
Videos
Suggestions for Further Reading
Advanced Reading
References
Chapter 2 Words and Their Parts:Lexicon and Morphology
Chapter 3 The Sounds of Languages:Phonetics
Chapter 4 Sound Systems of Language:Phonology
Chapter 5 The Structure and Function of Phrases and Sentences:Syntax
Chapter 6 The Study of Meaning:Semantics
Chapter 7 Language Universals and Language Typology
Chapter 8 Information Structure and Pragmatics
Chapter 9 Speech Acts and Conversation
Chapter 10 Registers and Styles:Language Variation across Situations of Use
Chapter 11 Language Variation Among Social Groups:Dialects
Chapter 12 Writing
Chapter 13 Language Change over Time:Historical Linguistics
Chapter 14 Historical Development in English
Chapter 15 Acquiring First and Second Languages