Date:  Tue, 19 Mar 1996 07:29:39 -0600

From:  Natalie Maynor <maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RA.MSSTATE.EDU>

Subject: Textbook Question



It's that time of year again. I'm thinking about changing from Fromkin

and Rodman next fall for my Intro to Linguistics class to James Paul

Gee's _Intro to Human Language_. Have any of you ever used it?



The students who take the course vary widely in ability and interest.

Although it's a junior/senior/grad-level course here, most of the

students have no previous experience with linguistics courses (it is,

after all, an introductory course), making it seem more to me like a

freshman- or sophomore-level course. The Fromkin/Rodman book was at

the appropriate level for the audience. My reason for thinking about

changing is not so much dissatisfaction with that book as it is general

restlessness or whatever -- a simple desire to try something different.

(I usually teach the course just once every two years but will be teaching

it two years in a row this time.) I like what I've read in the Gee book,

but I've never been good at knowing whether a book will really work well

until after I've used it -- too late in the case of bad choices.

  --Natalie (maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ra.msstate.edu)