David Crystal

David Crystal's classic English as a Global Language considers the history, present status and future of the English language, focusing on its role as the leading international language. English has been deemed the most 'successful' language ever, with 1500 million speakers internationally, presenting a difficult task to those who wish to investigate it in its entirety. However, Crystal explores the subject in a measured but engaging way, always backing up observations with facts and figures. Written in a detailed and fascinating manner, this is a book written by an expert both for specialists in the subject and for general readers interested in the English language.

* Clear demonstration of how language structures link together, description of features and usage and cautions against easy mistakes. * Includes new sections on ethnic variation and electronic communications and analyses of grammar in whole texts to reflect the modern world realistically * Updated to reflect developments in terminology following the National Curriculum and Key Stage 3 framework. * Lively writing style, grammatical examples from a rich range of sources and humorous illustrations.

La complejidad del lenguaje, y por lo tanto de su observación, requiere de tecnicas diversas y no siempre sencillas de aplicar. Una de ellas, fundamental tanto en el lenguaje infantil como en el adulto, es el analisis gramatical. Este libro esta dedicado a ello, enfocandolo desde diferentes puntos de vista, pero, por otro lado, haciendo un analisis exhaustivo y muy completo. Resulta eminentemente practico, por la gran cantidad de ejemplos que da y, ademas, en todo momento se aprecia la experiencia de los autores y su gran sentido practico en los temas que exponen.

Desde las primeras palabras de un niño hasta el peculiar dialecto moderno de los mensajes de texto, "El pequeño libro del lenguaje" abarca una amplia gama de temas, revelando las complejidades y peculiaridades del lenguaje. De forma animada, Crystal arroja luz sobre el desarrollo de estilos linguisticos unicos, los origenes de acentos oscuros y la busqueda de la primera palabra escrita. Habla de la dificil situacion de las lenguas en peligro, asi como de los casos exitosos de revitalizacion linguistica. Mucho mas que una historia, el trabajo de Crystal mira hacia el futuro del lenguaje, explorando el efecto de la tecnologia en nuestra lectura, escritura y habla diaria. "El pequeño libro del lenguaje" revelara la historia del lenguaje como un cuento cautivador para todas las edades.

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 have been revised to take account of recent developments, notably in phonetics, language disability, and computing * Maps have been revised to include new countries or country names * Special attention has been paid to fast-moving areas such as language teaching and learning * The text design has been completely updated with many new illustrations throughout '... a celebration of language in all its oddity, beauty, fun, astonishing complexity and limitless variety.' London Review of Books 'The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language is a masterpeice of comprehensiveness and clarity.' New Internationalist '... an ingenious tour de force ... stunningly diverse linguistic menu.' Robert Burchfield, The Times '... magnificently demonstrates Professor Crystal's outstanding breadth of knowledge, incisiveness of judgment and superb skills at getting to the heart of highly complex issues in a clear and straightforward manner.' Randolph Quirk, FBA '... David Crystal has a great facility for explaining language issues with plain good sense, wit and admirable brevity.' The Times Educational Supplement 'One of the world's foremost linguistic experts, Crystal has authored numerous tomes on the history and study of the English language, though this, with its full-colour illustrations and exhaustive index, is arguably the most comprehensive. A useful guide for anyone - from the interested layperson to the most widely read of academics.' The Independent

What's in a name? How do sounds become speech? What makes a word rude or polite? Is it possible to speak out of tune? How do we learn to read? These and hundreds of other questions are answered in renowned linguist David Crystal's brilliant tour through the fascinating world of language. From eyebrow flashes to whistling languages, from baby talk to why the grocer's apostrophe isn't such a bad thing after all, How Language Works sheds light on the endless mysteries of the language we speak, write and read every day.

Rarely has a book so packed with accurate and well researched factual information been so widely read and popularly acclaimed. This Second Edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language has been fully revised for a new generation of language-lovers. The book is longer and includes extensive new material on world English and Internet English, in addition to completely updated statistics, further reading suggestions and other references.First Edition Hb (1995): 0-521-40179-8First Edition Pb (1997): 0-521-59655-6David Crystal is a leading authority on language, and author of many books, including most recently Shakespeare''s Words (Penguin, 2002), Language and the Internet (Cambridge, 2001) and Language Death (Cambridge, 2000). An internationally renowned writer, journal editor, lecturer and broadcaster, he received an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his services to the English language.

David Crystal, world authority on the English language, has written a timely and informative account of the phenomenon of English as a global language. It includes a historical summary of the global development of English; an analysis, well supported by facts and figures, of the current spread and status of English as a first and second language internationally; and an informed assessment - by one of the leading scholars of and general writers about language matters - of the future of English. The book asks three basic questions: what makes a world language? why is English the leading ...

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.