Language is essential to human life, both as a basic social necessity and also as a powerful and complex social resource. For the Love of Language: An Introduction to Linguistics offers a comprehensive introduction to the workings of language and the role of linguistics in investigating its fundamental design. This thorough and engaging investigation into language and linguistics covers topics including: * strategies for learning about how language works * using linguistics to address real-world problems * the structure and meaning of words * the systems that organise language * changes to language over time * how language is used in written and spoken communication * the links between language, the mind and the world. Written by authors with extensive academic experience in the field of linguistics and including examples from Australia, New Zealand and around the world to engage the reader, For the Love of Language is a lively yet comprehensive resource for undergraduate students in foundation linguistics.