An essential introduction for students of language and linguistics, this book guides the reader through the core areas of study, drawing on a wide range of texts and examples.

The Language of Politics takes a clear and analytical look at the language used by contemporary politicians. The book begins with an examination of how both politicians and commentators describe political stances. This is followed by an exploration of some of the most common linguistic features to be found in political speeches. Electioneering is examined through various written texts, including manifestos, posters, and pamphlets. A final section looks at how politicians answer questions.

The Intertext series has been specifically designed to meet the needs of contemporary English Language Studies. Working with Texts: A core introduction to language analysis (second edition, 2001) is the foundation text, which is complemented by a range of 'satellite' titles. These provide students with hands-on practical experience of textual analysis through special topics and can be used individually or in conjunction with Working with Texts.

This volume, "Language as Purposeful: Functional Varieties of Texts", is the third of the first three e-books of a new series entitled, "Functional Grammar Studies for Non-Native Speakers of English", which is contained within the superordinate: "Quaderni del Centro di Studi Linguistico-Culturali (CeSLiC)", a research center in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages of the University of Bologna.

Contemporary, philosophical, cultural, political and sociological influences have had a crucial impact on the way in which we approach and understand texts. Language, Literature and Critical Practice examines the major consequences of these influences on textual analysis and the role of language within it, and provides an overview of developments in language-centered criticism in the twentieth century.

Using a wide-ranging variety of texts, the author reviews and evaluates an equally wide-ranging variety of approaches to textual commentary, introducing the reader to the fundamental distinction between "actual" and "virtual" words in critical practice and theories of language, and elucidating the critically important practice of how texts mean.