Book excerpt: Introduction to Discourse Studies follows on Jan Renkema s successful "Discourse Studies: An Introductory Textbook" (1993), published in four languages. This new book deals with even more key concepts in discourse studies and approaches major issues in this field from the Anglo-American and European as well as the Australian traditions. It provides a scientific toolkit for future courses on discourse studies and serves as a stepping stone to the independent study of professional literature.Introduction to Discourse Studies is the result of more than twenty-five years of experience gained in doing research and teaching students, professionals and academics at various universities. The book is organized in fifteen comprehensive chapters, each subdivided in modular sections that can be studied separately. It includes 400 references, from the most-cited contemporary publications to influential classic works; 500 index entries covering frequently used concepts in the field; more than 100 thought-provoking questions, all elaborately answered, which are ideal for teacher-supported self-education; nearly 100 assignments that provide ample material for teachers to focus on specific topics of their own preference in their lectures.Jan Renkema is a member of the Department of Communication and Information Sciences at Tilburg University, The Netherlands. He is also editor of "Discourse, of Course" (2009) and author of "The Texture of Discourse" (2009). In 2009, a Chinese edition of "Introduction to Discourse Studies" was published by Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.