David Crystal
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
"The English language is now accepted as the global lingua franca of the modern age, spoken or written in by over a quarter of the human race. But how did it evolve? How did a language spoken originally by a few thousand Anglo-Saxons become one used by more than 1,500 million? What developments can be seen as we move from Beowulf to Chaucer to Shakespeare to Dickens and the present day? A host of fascinating questions are answered in The Stories of...
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
"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...
Author
Language
English
Description
Banter, chit-chat, gossip, natter, tete-a-tete: these are just a few of the terms for the varied ways in which we interact with one another through conversation. David Crystal explores the factors that motivate so many different kinds of talk and reveals the rules we use unconsciously, even in the most routine exchanges of everyday conversation.
We tend to think of conversation as something spontaneous, instinctive, habitual. It has been described...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
David Crystal, one of the world's leading commentators on language, tackles the proverbs of the world. In this anthology of global proverbs Crystal brings his customary keen eye and linguistic expertise to this wonderfully rich topic.
Proverbs are fascinating in what they tell us about a culture's view of everyday life: whether it be the importance of animals or the significance of the weather, proverbial wisdom is a key factor in understanding...
Author
Series
Language
Español
Description
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 lingüísticos únicos, los orígenes de acentos oscuros y la búsqueda de la primera palabra escrita. Habla de la difícil situación de las lenguas en peligro,...
10) Making Sense
Author
Language
English
Description
In Making Sense, David Crystal confronts the foe of many: grammar. Once taught relentlessly to all students in the English-speaking world, grammar disappeared from most school curricula, so that terms such as “preposition” and “conjunction” now often confound children and adults alike. Explaining the nuts and bolts of grammar presents a special challenge, because, far more than is the case with spelling and punctuation, the subject is burdened...
Author
Language
English
Description
In this discursive jaunt through the groves and thickets of the English language, David Crystal creates a mesmerizing and entertaining narrative account of his encounters with the language and its speakers. Woven from personal reflections, historical allusions, and observations of travelers, this fascinating journey through the language we use every day will have readers thinking twice about each word they speak. Starting in Wales and moving from...
Author
Pub. Date
2015.
Edition
First U.S. Edition.
Language
English
Description
"The triumphant concluding volume in David Crystal's 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,...
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