In what is both an entertaining autobiography and an introduction to the field of linguistics, Professor David Crystal gives his answer to the question 'What happens when you become a liguist?' Surprisingly, the answer he gives is 'Kidnapping, attempted assassination, espionage ...'

In what is both an entertaining autobiography and an introduction to the field of linguistics, Professor David Crystal gives his answer to the question 'What happens when you become a liguist?' Surprisingly, the answer he gives is 'Kidnapping, attempted assassination, espionage--'.

This new, thoroughly revised edition of the acclaimed Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language incorporates the major developments in language study which have taken place since the mid 1990s. Two main new areas have been added: the rise of electronic communication in all its current forms from email to texting, and the crisis affecting the world's languages, of which half are thought to be so seriously endangered that they will die out this century. - All language statistics have been updated, and additional information provided about their linguistic affiliation - All topics involving technology...

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.

We are living through the consequences of a linguistic revolution. Dramatic linguistic change has left us at the beginning of a new era in the evolution of human language, with repercussions for many individual languages.





In this book, David Crystal, one of the world's authorities on language, brings together for the first time the three major trends which he argues have fundamentally altered the world's linguistic ecology: first, the emergence of English as the world's first truly global language; second, the crisis facing huge numbers of languages...

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.

This volume is one in a series of monographs being issued under the general title of "Disorders of Human Communication." Each monograph deals in detail with a particular aspect of vocal communication and its disorders, and is written by internationally distinguished experts. Therefore, the series will provide an authoritative source of up-to-date scientific and clinical informa tion relating to the whole field of normal and abnormal speech communication, and as such will succeed the earlier monumental work "Handbuch der Stimm und Sprachheilkunde" by R. Luchsinger and G. E. Arnold (last issued...

Wordsmiths and Warriors explores the heritage of English through the places in Britain that shaped it. It unites the warriors, whose invasions transformed the language, with the poets, scholars, reformers, and others who helped create its character.
The book relates a real journey. David and Hilary Crystal drove thousands of miles to produce this fascinating combination of English-language history and travelogue, from locations in south-east Kent to the Scottish lowlands, and from south-west Wales to the East Anglian coast. David provides the descriptions and linguistic associations,...