Geoffrey Sampson

Schools of Linguistics

by Geoffrey Sampson

A portrait of the contrasting beliefs, assumptions, and intellectual backgrounds of the various schools of linguistics which contributed to the subject throughout the 20th century, beginning with a glimpse of their 19th-century roots.

In Britain, subtitled Competition and Evolution.

Some critical comment:

frank, funny, personal, clear, literate, and scholarly ... lays bare the strengths and fallacies of all

— Choice

lively and entertaining reading ... among the better non-technical examinations of 20th century linguistic science

— Language

a book which has become indispensable reading for linguists, whether beginners or advanced researchers ...

— Semiosis

It consolidates Dr Sampson’s reputation as the foremost contemporary popularizer of controversies in linguistics

— Review of English Studies

one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read on linguistics in quite a while

— George Huttar in Notes on Linguistics

283 pp.

First published by Hutchinson (London), 1980

Currently available from Stanford University Press (Stanford, California)

ISBNs 0-8047-1084-8 (hardback), 0-8047-1125-9 (paper)

Translated into: Italian (1983); Korean (1999).

Geoffrey Sampson

last changed 5 Jan 2005