Unit one: Signs and sounds: Aims of this unit Contents Texts used include Signs: What is a sign? As simple as ABC Where it's @ From speech to writing Space-shifting Who's in the picture Sounds: A sounds alphabet Speech production and description: consonants It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it Sound symbolism Speech production and description: vowels Answers to activities. Unit two: Words and things, Aims of this unit Contents Texts used include What are words made of? Words and Meanings: Lexical ambiguity: say what you mean, or mean what you say? Metaphor: life's a beach, and then you fry Idiomatic language: flogging dead crocodiles and keeping your feet under water Computer analysis of words Denotation and connotation: what are words worth? Words and Histories: Got any spare words? Words mean what I want them to mean Get your new words here! Creating new words Answers to activity Commentaries on activities. Unit three: Sentences and structures, Aims of this unit Contents Texts used include Nouns and Patterns: Pronouns and patterns Verbs and Patterns: Modals and modality Sentences and Patterns: Actives, passives and meanings Computers, passives and meanings Answer and commentary on activity. Unit four: Text and context: written discourse, Aims of this unit Contents Texts used include Make and Mend Tracing the Patterns: Lexical cohesion Grammatical cohesion Information structure The Textile Industry Answers to activities. Unit five: Text and context: spoken discourse, Aims of this unit Contents Texts used include Speech Events Storytelling: Spoken versus written Labov's narrative categories Speeches Conversation: 'Real' talk - what is it like? Conversational maxims Sequencing in conversation CMC Some guidelines on collecting speech Some guidelines on collecting CMC Some guidelines on transcription The Representation of Talk: Genderised talk: real and represented The representation of region, social class and ethnicity Answer to activity Commentaries on activities. Unit six: Application, Aims of this unit. Further reading References List of URLs Index of terms Index of main texts.