An Introduction to the Study of Language

This is a fac simile edition of Bloomfield's An Introduction to the Study of Language (New York 1914), with an introductory article by Joseph S. Kess.

Leonard Bloomfield (1887-1949) was responsible for two classic textbooks in the field of linguistics. The earlier, reproduced here, shows some striking differences to his later views, reflecting much of the then-current thinking on language matters. As such, it represents not only an interesting commentary on the theoretical development of an extremely influential linguist, but more importantly, it is a telling document in the evolving history of the discipline and a rich source for the (psycho)linguist interested in how and why we got from where we were to where we are.