THE INTERACTIVE INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS: AN INTERACTIVE COURSE FOR STUDENTS OF LANGUAGES AND LINGUISTICS [CD-ROM, Version 2.0]. Jürgen Handke and Frauke Intemann. Ismaning, Germany: Max Hueber Verlag, 2000. 78.00 DM.

Abstract

Introduction to Linguistics 2.0 (henceforth IL2.0) is an attempt to provide an introduction to linguistics in the form of an interactive CD-ROM. According to the CD booklet, it can be used as “an autonomous learning environment,” offering “a valuable alternative to conventional methods when it comes to presenting linguistic phenomena in a lively and exciting way” (p. 2). Although I am very sympathetic to the authors' intentions, I did not find that the goals were attained in an optimal way. At most, IL2.0 can be used for introducing a unit in a class or for users who want to know whether they should take a linguistics course. In a sense, it is like a demo tape. Its content is extremely weak, especially when we compare it with recent introductory linguistics textbooks (e.g., Fromkin, 2000; Radford, Atkinson, Britain, Clahsen, & Spencer, 1999).