Ideal for those who are starting a degree in English language or linguistics, this textbook covers all the basic knowledge and tools of analysis students need for studying language. It introduces methods of English language description and enables readers to learn about the smallest units of language (sounds) and work through the subsequent levels (morphology and syntax) until the sentence is reached. The book also contains a chapter on basic lexical semantics. The final chapter in the book introduces readers to text structure, discourse and linguistic theory.This book is core reading for students taking introductory modules as part of an English language or linguistics degree. It will act as a foundation for more advanced work further into the curriculum.