Linguistics

The article literature is central to Linguistics. The article databases listed here allow you to search the contents of thousands of journals simultaneously. If you had to choose only one to know well, it would be LLBA, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts. (Please remember that you must log in with your NetID and password in order to access these and many other databases.)

When using article databases, remember there are always three stages in your workflow (the "three Ds"):

1. Discovery: Do (and redo!) your searching, using varying terms and combining using the Boolean operators "and, or, not" to get good results. Your first search is not your best search, but rather an opportunity to learn how to immediately do a better search
2. Delivery: For items that you like, select the link to the full text if available, or click on the button to see if we own the item. If you want to keep this item, either save it to your own computer, email it to yourself, or print it.
3. Database it: Keep the "meta-information" about all that good resources you found for your records and to make your bibliographies. You will find yourself returning to resources so having a system in place will save you time and aggravation later. The NYU Libraries offer a number of tools to our users to help with this, in particular a tool called RefWorks, which you can learn about here.

Indexes and Bibliographies

The following tools allow you to search for and use articles from within the scholarly literature in Linguistics and related fields. Some of these indexes exist in an electronic format, while others exist only in print format. 

• "The Year’s Work in Modern Language Studies" is an annual critical bibliography of scholarly work done in the modern languages (except English). It is available in print (PB1 .Y45 / Non-circulating, volumes 1-71 (1929-2009); full-text online access to the entire run of "The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies" (up to 2020) is also available.
• "The Year's Work in English Studies" is also available in print and electronically. Print copies can be found at PR5.E6 / Non-circulating. Electronic versions are available in two installments: Volumes 1-75 (1921-1973) and Volumes 76- (1974- ).

[Please note that some of these materials may be temporarily available online through HathiTrust.]

• Bibliographie Linguistischer Literatur (BLL). 1971-present. Bobst Bookstacks Z7001.B53n
  • Lists books and articles on general and theoretical linguistics and on English and the Germanic and Romance languages. Detailed subject arrangement with an additional subject index.
• Linguistics: The Cambridge Survey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. 4 vols. Bobst Bookstacks P121.L567 1988
  • Surveys research results and current work in all branches of linguistics. A very extensive older survey was Current Trends in Linguistics, The Hague: Mouton, 1963-1976. 14 volumes in 21. Bobst Bookstacks P25.S4
• Bibliographie linguistique des années.../de l'année... Bobst Bookstacks Z7001.P3 1939-2000
  • International in scope and stronger for East European and Asian languages than other resources. Lists books and articles and cites book reviews. The print is arranged in broad subject categories.