*Linguistics

OneSearch searches our library's physical collections as well as many of our online collections.

• Library Catalog: Your first stop to connect to items that the Library owns or has immediate access to.
• Brandeis and More: Your second stop if you want to broaden your search beyond Brandeis. Request materials from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan.
• Course Reserves: Search for books and films that have been set aside for your courses.
• Archives and Special Collections: Search for rare and unique materials (both physical and digital) held by Brandeis Library.
• Brandeis ScholarWorks: Search for research and creative work created by Brandeis faculty, students, and staff.

1. Go to OneSearch.
2. Start with a keyword search if you're not looking for a specific item. A keyword search will look for your search terms in the title, author, description, and subject fields.
3. Use the sidebar menu on the search results page to limit your results to books and e-books.
   
4. If you want to limit your results to just e-books, click Available Online in the sidebar menu. Click Physical Items at Brandeis in the sidebar menu to limit your results to print books.

You can search for reference grammars in Library OneSearch using a few different methods. Starting with a general keyword search is a good first step, but then if you can further narrow your results by publisher / series, a subject search, etc.

Broad Search

1. Go to Advanced Search.
2. Use the drop-down menus to search by Subject > Contains
3. Use the following search terms: [Language] -- Grammar  (e.g., Welsh language -- Grammar)
4. On the search results page, use the sidebar facets to narrow your results to Books & E-Books.
5. Optional: Use the Available Online or Physical Items at Brandeis sidebar facets to narrow your results to either print books or e-books.

Browse by Publisher / Series

You can also use exact phrase searching to browse specific grammar series. Add quotation marks around the name of the grammar series and then do a keyword search in OneSearch:

• "Routledge Comprehensive Grammars" OR "Routledge Essential Grammars"
• "Phonology of the World's Languages"

You can also try a general keyword search using the following search terms. Add quotation marks around your terms to search for them as a phrase.

• “Reference grammar”
• "Comprehensive grammar”
• “Essential grammar”

If you’d like to do a broad search for books that explain different methodological approaches in linguistics, try the following:

1. Go to Advanced Search in Brandeis Library OneSearch.
2. Select the Library Catalog radio button.
3. Change the search box drop-down menus to Subject contains. 
4. Type Linguistics -- Methodology in the text box. This search will include items that have both linguistics and methodology listed in their subject headings (e.g., computational linguistics -- methodology, linguistics -- research -- methodology).

You can also try some basic keyword searches (e.g., "linguistic methodology", "research methods" AND linguistics) since there are research methods books that aren’t tagged with the subject heading Linguistics -- Methodology.

Titles from our collection

Determining if a book is relevant to your research can be a multi-step process but is especially important in your research process as it can take a large amount of time to read a book thoroughly to determine relevancy. 

Step 1: Use the Index

The index is a list of terms, topics, and people/places that the authors and editors have determined are the most important from throughout the text. Start here by finding the terms, topics, etc that best work with your topic. Think broad! Check out these pages and note them for later.
 

Step 2: Table of Contents

The table of contents is a way for the authors and editors to break up the book by theme, topic, or time (or other organizing principle). Check out the chapters in which your terms (from the index) are most referenced or turn to the chapter that best fits the overall theme of your research. Again, think broad!
 

Step 3: Skim the Chapter

There's still sometimes no need to deep dive into a chapter until you've determined its relevancy. Try skimming the chapter by reading the introduction and conclusion as well as the first sentence or two of each paragraph. This doesn't always work! Depending on the topic you may need to skip to step 4...

Step 4: Read Closely

Now is the time to read closely; pick a chapter or section and read the chapter closely.