universal grammar , ling anthropology lang acquisition ( universal grammar ) investigations in universal grammar : a guide to experiments on the acquisition of syntax and semantics stephen crain and rosalind thornton this introductory guide to language acquisition research is presented within the framework of universal grammar , a theory of the human faculty for language . the authors focus on two experimental techniques for assessing children 's linguistic competence : the elicited production task , a production task , and the truth value judgment task , a comprehension task . their methodologies are designed to overcome the numerous obstacles to empirical investigation of children 's language competence . they produce research results that are more reproducible and less likely to be dismissed as an artifact of improper experimental procedure . in the first section of the book , the authors examine the fundamental assumptions that guide research in this area ; they present both a theory of linguistic competence and a model of language processing . in the following two sections , they discuss in detail their two experimental techniques . stephen crain is professor of linguistics and rosalind thornton is assistant professor of linguistics , both at the university of maryland at college park . language , speech , and communication series a bradford book may 1998 $ 55 . 00 cloth 7 x 10 , 368 pp . , 46 illus . isbn 0-262 - 03250 - 3 for more information please visit http : / / mitpress . mit . edu / promotions / books / craihs98 linguistic anthropology linguistic anthropology alessandro duranti ( u . of california , los angeles ) isbn : 0-521 - 44536 - 1 ; hardback , 6 x 9 , 420 pp . ; pub . date : 8 / 30 / 97 ; publisher : cambridge university press ; $ 64 . 95 ; alessandro duranti introduces linguistic anthropology as an interdisciplinary field that studies language as a cultural resource and speaking as a cultural practice . the theories and methods of linguistic anthropology are introduced through a discussion of linguistic diversity , grammar in use , the role of speaking in social interaction , the organization and meaning of conversational structures , and the notion of participation as a unit of analysis . linguistic anthropology will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students . contents : 1 . the scope of linguistic anthropology ; 2 . theories of culture ; 3 . linguistic diversity ; 4 . ethnographic methods ; 5 . transcription : from writing to digitized images ; 6 . meaning in linguistic forms ; 7 . speaking as social action ; 8 . conversational ex ! changes ; 9 . units of participation ; 10 . conclusions ; appendix : practical tips on recording interaction ; references ; indexes order info : www . cup . org / order . html