Words Words Words

Description

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 variations, taboo words, jargon, and wordplay, the contribution we all play in shaping the linguistic world around us becomes evident. Words, Words, Words is a celebration of what we say and how we say it. It invites us to engage linguistically with who we are: to understand what words tell us about where we come from and what we do. And as they continually shape our lives, it suggests ways that we can look at words anew and get involved with collecting and coining words ourselves.

Reviews

Witty. The Independent (Review) David Crystal gives us an enjoyable account of where words came from and what happens to them. Writing Magazine

Author description

David Crystal is the foremost writer and lecturer on the English language, with a world-wide reputation and over 100 books to his name. He is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor, and has been awarded an OBE for services to the English Language.

Table of contents

1. THE UNIVERSE OF WORDS; 2. THE ORIGINS OF WORDS; 3. THE DIVERSITY OF WORDS; 4. THE EVOLUTION OF WORDS; 5. THE ENJOYMENT OF WORDS; 6. BECOMING A WORD DETECTIVE