David Crystal

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1) By hook or by crook: A journey in search of English

Author

Pub. Date

2007.

Description

Combines personal reflections, historical allusions, and traveler's observations about the author's encounters with language and its users throughout the English-speaking world.

2) Spell it out: the curious, enthralling and extraordinary story of English spelling

Author

Crystal, David

Pub. Date

2013.

Description

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Presents a history of English spelling through chapters that cover such topics as the introduction of the Roman alphabet, each letter's origins, and the development of long and short vowels.

3) Words, words, words

Author

Crystal, David

Pub. Date

2006.

Description

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Words, words, words is all about the wonder of words. Drawing on a lifetime's experience, David Crystal explores language in all its rich varieties through words: the very building blocks of our communication. Language has no life of its own: it only exists in the mouths and ears, hands, eyes and brains of its users. As we are guided expertly and passionately through the mysteries and delights of word origins, histories, spellings, regional and social...

4) The gift of the gab: how eloquence works

Author

Crystal, David

Pub. Date

[2016]

Description

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"We all know eloquence when we hear it. But what exactly is it? And how might we gain more of it for ourselves? This entertaining and, yes, eloquent book illuminates the power of language from a linguistic point of view and provides fascinating insights into the way we use words. David Crystal, a world-renowned expert on the history and usage of the English language, probes the intricate workings of eloquence. His lively analysis encompasses everyday...

5) The Cambridge encyclopedia of the English language

Author

Crystal, David

Pub. Date

[1995]

Description

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Explores the history, variety, structure, future, and range of uses of the English language worldwide.

6) A little book of language

Author

Crystal, David

Pub. Date

[2010]

Description

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"With 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, expert linguist David Crystal proves why the story of language deserves retelling. From the first words of an infant to the peculiar modern dialect of text messaging, A Little Book of Language ranges widely, revealing language s myriad intricacies...

7) How language works: how babies babble, words change meaning, and languages live or die

Author

Crystal, David

Pub. Date

2007

Description

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Discusses the origins of languages, how children learn to speak, how e-mail differs from both speech and writing, how language reveals a person's social status, and how we decide whether a word is rude or polite.