Amazon.com: How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live (9780739482896): David Crystal: Books

More About the Author

David Crystal is honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. He has written or edited over 100 books and published numerous articles for scholarly, professional, and general readerships, in fields ranging from forensic linguistics and ELT to the liturgy and Shakespeare. His many books include Words, Words, Words (OUP 2006) and The Fight for English (OUP 2006).

Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Overview of the HOW, July 19, 2007

By

J. Birchell "vitellioscarpia" (Anchorage, AK, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Liveor Die (Hardcover)

I would strongly disagree with the review that contends that this book does not explore its subject matter in enough depth. I particularly disagree with the reviewer when he keeps asking for further explanation ("it doesn't explain WHY...") The book is not intended to explain why. As the introduction makes clear, it is intended as an explanation of the HOW of linguistics; in other words, it is intended as a diagnostic overview of linguistic science. It is not a scientific investigation. It is not a historical (or etymological) overview of linguistic practices. It is a description of those practices. In this light, it succeeds admirably. I found the book extremely informative as an effective introduction to linguistics. And I did NOT find it a difficult read.
If you have no background study in linguistics, I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse | Permalink

Comment Comment

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Language Works is highly recommended., December 10, 2006

By

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Liveor Die (Hardcover)

How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, And Languages Live Or Die by expert linguist David Crystal is a comprehensive guide written for lay readers and linguistic scholars alike to how language develops and evolves, both in individuals and in societies. In addition to chronicling how new languages are created from the mixing of cultures, and surveying the process of how languages die, How Language Works also makes an impassioned plea to protect and sustain as many languages as possible in a modern world beset with the threat of literally thousands of human languages on the verge of extinction. Championing languages as facets of intellectual and cultural diversity as well as miracles of science and nature, How Language Works is highly recommended.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse | Permalink

Comment Comment

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Total Book on Language, February 8, 2007

By

Ray Cemic "Music lover" (Lake Worth,Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Liveor Die (Hardcover)

This book covers every aspect of language: the physiological, paralingual communication, nuances of language, and almost any other thing that you can think of involving language. It is from England so some of the spellings and phrasings are different, but I found it to be interesting, readable, and full of new information, based on the latest research.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse | Permalink

Comment Comment

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 16 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Shallow and Long
This book aims to be a good strong everyman's introduction the field of linguistics, but it really is too long, too simplistic, and too shallow. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Jiang Xueqin

3.0 out of 5 stars Broad but shallow
This book is a survey of linguistics, suitable for high school students. He tells us a great many things about languages, and some are interesting, but far too often they are... Read more

Published 20 months ago by Allan W. Rees

4.0 out of 5 stars Panoramic overview onto the world of language...
Maybe it will sound strange, but what I liked most about the book was not its content but its form: what a concise, structured, balanced and nearly perfect syntax! Read more

Published 22 months ago by A. Panda

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Layout, Good Overview
This book is really beautiful - the fonts used and the layout are very distinctive. A++ on that.

The book itself is a series of short chapters on a wide variety of... Read more

Published on February 21, 2009 by K. F. Barnes

5.0 out of 5 stars One more step towards clarity
We may all have an instinct for language but we can enjoy our use and perception of language far more with the help of such an astute observer and analyst as David Crystal. Read more

Published on June 18, 2008 by Andrew Doherty

4.0 out of 5 stars Living language
I enjoyed this book - lots of interesting data, much of which was new to me. I thought that the 'mechanical' chapters at the beginning were a rather dry intro and could perhaps... Read more

Published on August 30, 2007 by Michael Waghorne

5.0 out of 5 stars On what we say-in so many words.
The book was easy to read and relaxingly informative-I learnt a lot,David Crystal shows how linguistics and language should be discussed once again.

Published on July 22, 2007 by A. E. Bond

3.0 out of 5 stars tough going
Don't be fooled by the cartoony cover: this book is very technical and will make for slow going. It could easily be used as the text in a linguistics survey course... Read more

Published on July 2, 2007 by Caraculiambro

3.0 out of 5 stars If you say so, but why?
I found this book somewhat disappointing.

Since the author is clearly one of the top dudes in the language business, it seems not unreasonable to expect its accurate... Read more

Published on May 8, 2007 by Paul Magnussen

5.0 out of 5 stars A Readable Reference Book

This book is arranged in chapters that can stand alone or be read as a volume. Chapters are divided into sub chapters which similarly stand alone or can be read as a... Read more

Published on April 13, 2007 by Loves the View

› See all 16 customer reviews...

Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence:
'Language', the title of this book says. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
audible friction

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Guinea, South-East Asia, South America, American English, United States, Middle Ages, British English, South Africa, Central America, North American, North Africa, Second World War, Middle English, Leonard Bloomfield