This work, written by Vilém Mathesius (1882–1945), who was the founder of English studies in the Czech Lands, a prominent Czech linguist and one of the main figures of the Prague Linguistic Circle, was first published in 1961 thanks to Josef Vachek and has become a truly classical work. As it is still valuable in many respects, we believe that students of English studies as well as anyone interested in general linguistics will appreciate this new edition, appearing over fifty years after the publication of the original.