A many-faceted exploration of spoken eloquence: how it works, how it has evolved, and how to tap its remarkable powerWe 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 En...

The title of this book, Trails of Thought, was selected to indicate the similarity between the experiences of a hiker and those of a thinker. As my thoughts navigate through the thickets of biases, assumptions, preconceptions, traditions and customs, faith and doubt, love and hate, compassion and callousness, they often paint pictures in the form of words the outcome of which can be quite astonishing and unanticipated.Our minds are like a vast landscape of mountains and valleys, oce...

This book Jesus - The Lily of the Valley, is all about Jesus Christ. The flower - The Lily of the Valley is used to represent Jesus' impeccable character, unblemished by sin, and His unwavering commitment to righteousness. He is the embodiment of purity and meekness - humbling Himself to the point of death on the cross. His life and teachings exemplify the values of selflessness and sacrifice. He willingly gave up His own life for the salvation of humanity, demonstrating the ultimate act o...

What do a comic alphabet, a glorious lipogram and a wellerism have in common?Or, an audit of accountants, an illusion of magicians, and an intrusion of spammers?And do you know how Shakespeare pronounced his name?Quirky, original, amusing and enlightening, this charming English Language Miscellany from David Crystal, one of the greatest British linguists of our time, offers fascinating observations on random, weird and witty words and expr...

The fully updated new edition of the essential single-volume reference, covering the full fields of linguistics and phoneticsNow in its seventh edition, A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics remains the definitive resource work for students of linguistics and phonetics. Originally created by David Crystal and revised for the new seventh edition with Alan C. L. Yu, this dictionary features a wealth of new entries by a team of experts in phonetics, phono...

Cygnus, as the name suggests, is a constellation—but here a constellation of quotes, ideas, short poems and tiny tales, all related to real life and through the crystal clear lens of the writer. Most of the little snippets are from her observations of life and interactions with all kinds of individuals. They are real in the sense that they are experiential and not superficial. Some are cryptic, others beautifully clear. The variety is largely entertaining and sometimes satirical, yet extre...

An absolutely joyous, gasp-out-loud achievement. - Stephen FryShakespeare's flame is infectious. An olympic torch, for us all, to be enlightened, words which share the shadow and light of humanity's hues. - LionHeart, artist, poet and BBC Radio London presenterSilver Medal Winner at the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards.Shakespeare had an ear and hand that was able to capture our everyday thoughts and emotions, pin them to ...

This 'engaging history of punctuation' (Wall Street Journal) is not only the first history of its kind, but a complete guide on how to use English punctuation.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, inspiring organisations like the Apostroph...

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 as an art, as a game, sometimes even as a ...

Words, Words, Words is all about the wonder of words. Drawing on a lifetime's experience, David Crystal explores language in all its rich varieties through words: the very building blocks of our communication. 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, jarg...

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 different peoples and cultures. Here D...

It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it ...There have long been debates about 'correct' pronunciation in the English language, and Britain's most distinguished linguistic expert, David Crystal, is here to set the record straight. Sounds Appealing tells us exactly why, and how, we pronounce words as we do.Pronunciation is integral to communication, and is tailored to meet the demands of the two main forces behind language: intelligibility and identity. E...