"[A] whirlwind review of the history of English spelling . . . with small gems of discovery every few pages." — BooklistWhy is English spelling so difficult? In thirty-seven short, engaging and informative chapters, linguist and logophile David Crystal takes readers on a history starting with the Roman missionaries' sixth-century introduction of the Roman alphabet and ending with where the language might be going. He looks individually at each letter in the...

From an acclaimed linguist, " part travelogue, part memoir, and part meditation on the intellectual and emotional underpinnings of language. . . . Priceless." ( Booklist)In this discursive jaunt through the groves and thickets of the English language, David Crystal creates an entertaining narrative account of his encounters with the language and its speakers. Woven from personal reflections, historical allusions, and observations of travel...

Now in paperback, in the tradition of E. H. Gombrich's A Little History of the World, a lively journey through the story of languageWith a language disappearing every two weeks and neologisms springing up almost daily, an understanding of the origins and currency of language has never seemed more relevant. In this charming volume, a narrative history written explicitly for a young audience, expert linguist David Crystal proves why the story of language des...

What do a comic alphabet, a glorious lipogram and a wellerism have in common?Or, an audit of accountants, an illusion of magicians, and an intrusion of spammers?And do you know how Shakespeare pronounced his name?Quirky, original, amusing and enlightening, this charming English Language Miscellany from David Crystal, one of the greatest British linguists of our time, offers fascinating observations on random, weird and witty words and expr...

This is the definitive survey of the English language - in all its forms. Crystal writes accessibly about the structure of the language, the uses of English throughout the world and finally he gives a brief history of English. The book has been fully revised and there is a fascinating new chapter on 'The effect of technology' on the English language. 'Illuminating guided tour of our common treasure by one of its most lucid and sensible professionals' The Times 'A splendid blend of eruditio...

In this fascinating survey of everything from how sounds become speech to how names work, David Crystal answers every question you might ever have had about the nuts and bolts of language in his usual highly illuminating way. Along the way we find out about eyebrow flashes, whistling languages, how parents teach their children to speak, how politeness travels across languages and how the way we talk show not just how old we are but where we’re from and even who we want to be.

A groundbreaking history of worldwide English in all its dialects, differences, and linguistic delights: "Informative . . . distinctive . . . a spirited celebration." — The GuardianIn this "well-informed and appealing" work ( Publishers Weekly), David Crystal puts aside the usual focus on "standard" English, and instead provides a startlingly original view of where the richness, creativity, and diversity of the language truly lies—in the accents an...

The world's foremost expert on the English language takes us on an entertaining and eye-opening tour of the history of our vernacular through the ages.In The Story of English in 100 Words, an entertaining history of the world's most ubiquitous language, David Crystal draws on one hundred words that best illustrate the huge variety of sources, influences and events that have helped to shape our vernacular since the first definitively English word—"roe"—was w...

The final volume in the classic trilogy on the English language combines the first history of English punctuation with a complete guide on how to use it.Behind every punctuation mark lies a thousand stories. The punctuation of English, marked with occasional rationality, is founded on arbitrariness and littered with oddities. For a system of a few dozen marks it generates a disproportionate degree of uncertainty and passion, inspiring organizations like the Apostrop...

Steven Pinker meets Bill Bryson in this landmark exploration of language.In the author's own words, "How Language Works is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex-or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as David Crystal makes clear in this work of unprecedented scope, language is an extremely powerful tool that defines the human species.Crystal off...

Did you know that the English language has over 150 words for the adjective 'drunk' developed over 1,000 years? Be prepared to learn words you have never heard before, find out fascinating facts behind everyday words, and be surprised at how lively and varied the English language can be. Published to critical acclaim in 2009, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is the first comprehensive thesaurus in the world to arrange words by meaning in order of first rec...

The rapid endangerment and death of many minority languages across the world is a matter of widespread concern, not only among linguists and anthropologists but among all concerned with issues of cultural identity in an increasingly globalized culture. By some counts, only 600 of the 6,000 or so languages in the world are 'safe' from the threat of extinction. A leading commentator and popular writer on language issues, David Crystal asks the fundamental question, 'why is language death so ...