Offers introductory entries on 80 ideas that have shaped the study of language.This book covers ideas that range from Sense Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Logic, through Generative Semantics, Cognitivism, and Conversation Analysis, to Political Correctness, Deconstruction, and Corpora.

In just two generations the Cain family went from the slums of Irish Liverpool to a seat in the House of Lords. As the city grew so did the brewery and as it struggled, so Cain's fought for survival. At the height of Liverpool's fortunes Robert Cain owned 200 public houses across Merseyside. This is the story of Liverpool in a pint.

This is a unique and accessible reference guide to the work of figures who have played an important role in the development of ideas about language. It includes 80 entries on individual thinkers in the Western tradition, ranging from antiquity to the present day, chosen because of their impact on the description or theory of language.