Basic linguistic concepts are presented and their links with second language learning and teaching are examined. The book is intended as a guide for teachers and others interested in second language instruction. Chapters address the following concepts: the relationship of language and linguistics, including basic terminology of discussion about language; language variation and the evolution of language norms; human communication, encoding and decoding, language functions, and nonverbal communication; the structure of language, content and form, and context; the role of applied linguistics in the teaching of languages; phonology and phonological skills; writing and its relationship to spoken language; words, discourse elements, and morphology; lexical competence and the teaching of meaning in a foreign language; grammar and syntax; text and text elements; and competence in discourse, including pragmatics, situational competence, and speech acts. Each chapter contains a list of recommended additional readings and several exercises to reinforce the concepts discussed. Contains 21 pages of references. (MSE)