170 BOOK REVIEWS

The series ‘Perspectives on the English Language ’ is a welcome addition to the existing library of introductory texts on the English language and the study of linguistics generally. According to series editor Lesley Jeffries, her own book, Discovering Language: The Structure of Modern English, Siobhan Chapman’s Thinking about Language: Theories of English, and Urszula Clark’s textbook Studying Language: English in Action, form a ‘logical relationship ’ (Jeffries, 2006: xvi) solidified in the distinct yet interconnected aims of all three textbooks. While Jeffries (2006: 1) introduces each of the levels of language alongside their descriptive apparatus, the focus of Chapman’s text is entirely theoretical. Clark, by contrast, equips the language student with the necessary tools for researching language, practising analytical techniques (Jeffries, 2006: xvi) and for considering broader contextual issues (Jeffries, 2006: xv). The companion textbooks are introductory and pitched at an undergraduate audience. They may be creatively deployed by teachers to reinforce key concepts, core issues and fundamental skills in language study, and provide the building blocks for more advanced investigations. While Clark’s (2006) text, Studying Language: English in Action, is an integral part of the language series, this particula