Databases
Scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles may be located by searching the Library’s subscription databases. Listed below are suggestions for the most useful databases for articles on topics in linguistics and language. A complete list of all our Digital Resources are available from the Databases link.
- Academic Search Premier [INFO]
- Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (index and abstracts only)
- Humanities International Index [INFO]
- MLA International Bibliography[INFO]
- Communication & Mass Media Complete (many full-text) [INFO]
- ERIC (links to full-text) [INFO]
Useful for research related to the teaching of language, or development of language skills. - PsycINFO (huge index; links to full-text)[INFO]
Useful for research on the developmental, social, or behavioral aspects of language.
Books and More
The Library catalog (LOLA) is a database of books and other print/non-print materials, such as videos/DVDs, music CDs, and scores. The catalog offers a variety of searches - Keyword, Subject, Author, Title, and Call Number. At the university level, it is essential to use books for nearly all research needs. Both historical and new developments may be found in books.When searching the Online catalog, be sure to try both a KEYWORD and a SUBJECT search - they will provide different results. A few examples of standard LC Subject Headings for topics related to linguistics and language are shown below:
- Subject search for Linguistics
- Subject search for Applied linguistics
- Subject search for Comparative linguistics
- Subject search for Historical linguistics
- Subject search for Grammar comparative and general
- Subject search for Phonetics
- Subject search for Sociolinguistics
- Subject search for English language
- Subject search for Language and languages
Reference Material
Reference sources are a good starting point for research - they provide background information on a topic, identify and explain key concepts, or cite critical research that has been done. Some key resources for linguistics and language study are listed below.
- The world atlas of language structures
- A dictionary of linguistics & phonetics
- The linguistics encyclopedia
- International encyclopedia of linguistics
- The Cambridge encyclopedia of language
- The atlas of languages : the origin and development of languages throughout the world
Additional titles may be identified by seaching the Library catalog , by consulting with a Reference Librarian, or browsing the P29-765 section of the Reference Shelves.
Web Sites
In general, web sites are not the best choices for serious research because there is no guarantee the information posted there is authoritative, current, or sufficiently in-depth. Only use sites that you know are reputable, scholarly, current, and unbiased. The following are links to sites that seem to meet these criteria:
- Center for Applied Linguistics
- The Internet TESL Journal
- History of the English Language
- Linguist List
- Linguistic Society of America
- American Association for Applied Linguistics
More…
- Ask a Librarian
- Subject librarian: Lissa Zinfon
