Suitable for scholars, students and actors, this book contains glosses and quotes for over 14,000 words that could be misunderstood by modern audience. It features different panels that look at such areas of Shakespeare's language as greetings, swear-words and terms of address.

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 erudition and entertainment' THES

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.

In this unique new history of the world's most ubiquitous language, the foremost expert on linguistics David Crystal draws on the 100 words that best illustrate the huge variety of developments and events that have shaped our vernacular since the first definitively English word was written down in the fifth century.

Learning to talk is probably the greatest milestone in a child's development, a deeply moving and often hilarious experience for all parents. It is also a process which has been intensively studied by psychologists and linguists. This book shows us what they have discovered.

This superbly well-informed - and also wonderfully entertaining - history of the English language answers all these questions, showing how the many strands of English (Standard English, dialect and slang among them) developed to create the richly-varied language of today.

An enthusiastic and practical approach to language learning * A riveting and valuable combination of David Crystal's language expertise and Geoff Barton's sound, practical classroom experience. * Essential reference for every class working towards GCSE and Standard Grade.

David Crystal guides readers through the maze of structures and terminology of the English language. He shows how language structures link together, describes their features and usage, and cautions against easy mistakes.

The author explains structure and then shows how it works in different language contexts - the literary, the non-literary, the spoken and the written. He explores a wide range of linguistic themes including sociolinguistics, language acquisition and register, and shows how our language can be interpreted.

Why is there an 'h' in ghost? William Caxton, inventor of the printing press and his Flemish employees are to blame: without a dictionary or style guide to hand in fifteenth century Bruges, the typesetters simply spelled it the way it sounded to their foreign cars, and it stuck. This book takes you on a journey through English spelling.