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David Crystal

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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language 2nd Edition

by David Crystal (Author)

4.3 36 ratings

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This Second Edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language presents a mass of new information and introduces the subject of language to a fresh generation of students and general readers. Probably the most successful general study of language ever published, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language covers all the major themes of language study, including popular ideas about language, language and identity, the structure of language, speaking and listening, writing, reading, and signing, language acquisition, the neurological basis of language, and languages of the world. Exposing this work to a new generation of readers, the Second Edition extends the range of coverage to include advances in areas such as machine translation, speech interaction with machines, and language teaching. There is new material on acoustics, physiological concepts of language, and World English, and a complete update of the language distribution maps, language-speaking statistics, table of the world's languages, and further reading. All geopolitical material has been revised to take account of boundary changes. The book has been redesigned and is presented for the first time in full color, with new pictures and maps added.

ISBN-10

0521559677
ISBN-13

978-0521559676
Edition

2nd
Publisher

Cambridge University Press
Publication date

February 13, 1997
Language

English
Dimensions

9 x 1.25 x 10.75 inches
Print length

488 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a treasure trove to language lovers." Robert MacNeil

"Investigates every conceivable corner of the world of language." The Christian Science Monitor

"...remarkably accessible...the writing is plain and non-technical..." Toronto Globe and Mail

"The quantity and quality of included information is amazing. Composed by an individual, this is a truly unique and monumental reference work." American Reference Books Annual

"The book is overwhelming yet inviting; the information ranges from the most basic to the very technical. Even the casual browser couldn't help but be fascinated by the sheer scope of the book and intrigued with the diversity of its subject matter." Elaine R. Goldberg, Kliatt

"The most diverse, enjoyable, and thought-provoking encyclopedia on language....ideal for anyone interested in words, speech, writing, and thought, and certain to be a continual point of reference for any writer for years to come. Very highly recommended." Amazon.Com Books

Book Description

A complete revised update, in full colour, of the most successful general study of language ever published.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; 2nd edition (February 13, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 488 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0521559677
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0521559676
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.33 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 1.25 x 10.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,385,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #401 in Encyclopedias (Books)
- #1,112 in Literature Encyclopedias
- #3,494 in Art Encyclopedias

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4.3 36 ratings

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David Crystal

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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).

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4.3 out of 5

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Anne Mills

Language Lovers' Delight

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2013

Absolutely necessary for any language maven -- lots and lots about lots and lots. Very useful when one is looking things up (though one must use the index, since it's not alphabetical) and great fun for browsing. It came out in 1997, and an update was published in 2010. This will go on my reading list for next year.

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

It arrived on time, good condition and the book I used it and gave it to the teacher.
Not the type of book that would be in my office.

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Loren D. Morrison

For Writers, Researchers, And The Intellectually Curious

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2001

According to the author, this book operates on two levels. First it addresses the kind of interest in language history and behaviour that we encounter daily (for instance: a young child's attempts to talk), and secondly, it attempts to make sense out of what we observe. To address these concerns, the book consists of 11 main categories having topics such as "Popular Ideas About Language," "The Medium of Language: Writing and Reading," and ""The Languages Of The World."
These 11 categories are further broken down into 65 subsections on such subjects as "Language and Thought," "Investigating Children's Language," and "Language And The Brain."
One of the beauties of this book is that it practices what it preaches. In the section on Plain English, it emphasizes simplicity as the key to readability and it is written in just such a simple, readable manner. In this regard, Crystal quotes the recommendations of the "Plain English Advocates" as follows:
"Prefer the shorter word to the longer one. Use simple . . . . rather than fancy ones."
"Write short sentences with an average of no more than 20 words."
"Write short paragraphs with an average of about 75 words."
And very importantly, I think, "Write with your ear. . . . . Do not write anything you could not comfortably say."
There is much more like this. Along these same lines he quotes George Orwell's six rules of what to do when instinct fails. A couple of these rules also merit mention.
"Never use a long word when a short word will do." and "If it is possible to cut a word out, cut it out." And, again, more along these lines.
I think that these few rules and others like them are important to one of the main themes of the book which is effective communication.
There are segments of the book that, in my opinion, ought to be invaluable to the professional researcher as well as the casual reader. For instance, there are sections that relate language to childhood development, contain discussions of language and other systems of communication, and discussions of language and social identity to name but a few. Many are accompanied by charts, tables, illustrations, maps, etc. where they add breadth to the discussion.
To summarize, THE CAMBRIDGE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LANGUAGE has something to offer to a wide range of readers, from the would-be writer, to the experienced writer who wishes to be more effective, to the researcher, to the intellectually curious.

17 people found this helpful

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Dr Garry

Anything David Crystal does is brilliant

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2013

David Crystal is the foremost popularist of linguistics in the English-speaking world, and one of the most prolific. He is the Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, or Isaac Asimov of linguistics, if I can cite from other fields. He knows whereof he speaks, and he always speaks clearly and entertainingly. If you have the least interest in language you simply must buy a book by Crystal. Maybe not this one, but any one!

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F. Hamilton

A Linguaphile's Delight

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2002

_The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language_, Second Edition, by David Crystal is a linguaphile's delight. It provides a wealth of information to engage the mind indefinitely.
Instead of being organized alphabetically, as most encyclopedias are, _The Encyclopedia of Language_ is divided into eleven parts that comprise sixty-five thematic sections. Each section includes a comprehensive discussion of the theme, enhanced by sidebars and colorful visuals. Sections range in length from two to twenty pages, making the chunks of information small enough to be palatable yet large enough to be satisfying.
Topics addressed include language and thought, the structure of language, the anatomy and physiology of speech, written language, language acquisition, languages of the world, language disabilities, and language change. Obviously, this is only a sample. In addition, the book has eight appendices, including an extensive glossary and a table giving information about nearly 1,000 of the world's languages.

While many of Crystal's topics have their technical aspects, the author keeps his tone conversational and his information accessible to the lay reader. In this way he celebrates the existence of human language and deepens our appreciation of it.

35 people found this helpful

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Comm Prof

The best comprehensive introduction to language--we'd love a new edition!

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2009

Based on this and his many other excellent books, David Crystal is a world heritage treasure! This book provides a stimulating introduction to language in a comprehensive way that I have found nowhere else. However, since its 1997 publication date there are exciting new developments in understanding language and its origins, including language acquisition, neurolinguistics, and semantics. We would love a new edition and hope the marvelous author has nothing else to do for the foreseeable future! Please convince him, Cambridge University Press!

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Khaadim One

An unmatched linguistic compendium

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2007

Everything that you could ever have wanted to know about the way language works is in here (along with many other things that you probably had never even thought of). From the minds ability to comprehend certain sights and sounds as forms of communication and how it deciphers them to writing styles, changes and progression in languages and grammatical structures and nuances in voice level and tone used to alter understanding of a particular syllable, this book's got it all. I have to confess to being overawed when I first opened the book and then marvelling at the detail contained therein. Be warned though, this book is not for beginners in any field of study. Those with a strong interest in linguistics though should definitely invest in this treasure. There's so much in here it's staggering.

One person found this helpful

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MeBastaAsí

Lo recomiendo

Reviewed in Spain on April 8, 2018

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Es un apoyo, es decir, dado su carácter fragmentario no es adecuado para ser usado como "libro de texto". Sirve para resolver dudas puntuales o como trampolín para iniciar búsquedas. Estoy muy contenta con la adquisición.

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Nolan R.

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2017

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very happy with product

shehar

これは素晴らしい

Reviewed in Japan on September 18, 2004

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Encyclopedia of Languageとあるように、これは言語学の百科事典ではないので、言語学の理論や手法を網羅的に説明しているという訳ではなく、どちらかというともう少し離れた位置から、言語に関わる諸分野を取り扱っている事典である。そのため、普通の言語学の本では見過ごされてしまいがちな点に関しても記述されている。しかし言うまでもなく、最新の言語学の成果も至るところに散りばめられているし、さらにそれを言語学以外の分野とうまく関連させて、言語についての説明がなされている。用いられている英語も比較的平易だし、(恐らく)全てのページに絵や図が載せられているので、内容がより理解しやすくなっている。
「百科事典」という性質上、本書を読破したわけではないが、これまでに参照した中では、22. The anatomy and physiology of speechと33. Graphologyの部分が興味深かった。Part VIIIで、脳科学にまで踏み込んでいる点にも驚いた。一般的な言語学の入門書では、ここまで取り扱うことは殆どないだろう。言語に関する諸問題について色々と知りたければ、個人的には、下手な言語学の概説書を何冊も買うよりも、本書を一冊手許に置いておき、その後必要であれば、専門的なレベルに進む方が良いのではないかと思う。

7 people found this helpful

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Helen M

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2014

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Fabulous!

Salva

Excelente enciclopedia

Reviewed in Spain on December 18, 2013

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Muy completa, explícita y muy útil para la consulta de artículos lingüísticos. Excelentísima relación calidad precio, adecuado para estudiar grado en Estudios Inglese.

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