Your first step in Indian linguistics and beyond

✐ Abhishek Avtans

How to study linguistics especially from the perspective of languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent (South Asia)? I have been asked this same question by several people on Twitter/X. I have tried to help on many occasions by pointing them to good quality academic sources, so to make these suggestions freely accessible to everyone, I have compiled them here.

If you want to start your journey in Linguistics with light but formal & structured reading, this is the recommended reading list for you. You can find availability for almost all of these titles at a public or university library near you via WorldCat:

1. Languages of India by Gopal Haldar (originally written in Bengali, translated in English by Tista Bagchi)

• The Scope: A good starting point on Indian languages.

2. Essentials of Linguistics (2nd Edition, 2022) by Catherine Anderson, Bronwyn Bjorkman, Derek Denis, Julianne Doner, Margaret Grant, Nathan Sanders, and Ai Taniguchi

• The Scope: An exceptional, comprehensive introductory textbook designed specifically for beginning students.
• Get it here: Free Open-Access Online Version

3. Linguistics: An Introduction to Linguistic Theory by Victoria Fromkin et al.

• The Scope: A highly acclaimed textbook covering fundamental concepts and core theoretical frameworks in linguistics.

4. Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication by Adrian Akmajian et al.

• The Scope: Teach yourself basic linguistics concepts (7th edition recommended).

5. An Introduction to Language and Linguistics edited by Ralph Fasold and Jeff Connor-Linton

• The Scope: A beautifully clear, student-friendly introductory text covering all major branches of linguistics.

6. Modern Linguistics: An Introduction by S.K. Verma and N. Krishnaswamy

• The Scope: Basic concepts with more Indian languages examples and perspectives.

7. An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology by John Clark et al.

• The Scope: Study of sounds and their rules (3rd edition recommended).

8. The Grammar of Words: An Introduction to Linguistic Morphology by Geert Booij

• The Scope: Analysis of words and morphemes (3rd edition recommended).

9. Understanding Syntax by Maggie Tallerman

• The Scope: How sentences are formed (6th or latest edition).

10. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics by Ronald Wardhaugh

• The Scope: Social connections of languages (e.g., high/low varieties, Black English, etc.; 7th or 8th recent edition recommended).

11. The Dravidian Languages by Bh. Krishnamurti

• The Scope: Specialist knowledge on Dravidian languages of India.

12. The Indo-Aryan Languages edited by George Cardona & Dhanesh Jain

• The Scope: In-depth comparative study of Indo-Aryan languages (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal).

13. The Tibeto-Burman Languages of Northeast India by Mark W. Post and Robbins Burling (paper)

• The Scope: Tibeto-Burman languages of Northeast India.
• Note: This is a specific chapter inside The Sino-Tibetan Languages volume. Look up the full volume title on WorldCat to locate it in an academic library.

14. The Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages by Paul Sidwell et al.

• The Scope: Austroasiatic languages (Munda, Santhali, Khasi, Nicobarese, etc.) of India (2 volumes).

15. Dimensions of Panini Grammar by Kapil Kapoor

• The Scope: Understanding the grandness and sophistication of the Indian (Paninian/Sanskrit) linguistic tradition.

16. Defining a Linguistic Area: South Asia by Colin P. Masica

• The Scope: How languages change, converge, and evolve in the South Asian linguistic area.

End Note: Diving into linguistics can feel like learning to see a completely hidden dimension of human interaction. If you are entirely new to the field, I highly recommend starting with the general overview texts (items 1 through 6) to build your core terminology before tackling the highly detailed regional and structural text volumes later in the list. To locate any of these books near you, just plug the titles into the WorldCat Library Catalog. Happy reading, and feel free to share your thoughts or questions as you begin your journey!