While continuing to keep each chapter independent to allow maximum flexibility for teaching and learning, the ninth edition of Language Files has improved the organization within each chapter by adding an introduction file at the beginning. The introduction file provides an overview of the subfield of linguistics to be studied, as well as the specific topics to be discussed.

To make the book more interesting and to help students better understand the content, this new edition is enriched with visual illustrations such as cartoons, drawings, real life pictures, and schematic representation of examples, in addition to the figures and charts in the past editions. New exercises and suggested further readings are added in many chapters. Answers to the exercises are available at the back of the book and on-line for teachers and students.