Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
35 used & new from £3.80

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die
 
 

How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die (Paperback)

by David Crystal (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.50 (35%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, July 15? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
28 new from £3.80 7 used from £3.80
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 14 used & new from £2.40
Paperback 16 used & new from £3.05

Frequently Bought Together

How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die + Words Words Words + The Stories of English
Price For All Three: £19.72

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die by David Crystal

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Words Words Words by David Crystal

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Stories of English by David Crystal

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Words Words Words

Words Words Words

by David Crystal
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)  £6.74
The Stories of English

The Stories of English

by David Crystal
5.0 out of 5 stars (6)  £6.49
The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language

The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language

by David Crystal
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.49
The Fight for English: How language pundits ate, shot, and left

The Fight for English: How language pundits ate, shot, and left

by David Crystal
4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.49
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language

by David Crystal
4.7 out of 5 stars (9)  £22.49
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (29 Mar 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141015527
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141015521
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 137,986 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Product Description
In this fascinating survey of everything from how sounds become speech to how names work, David Crystal answers every question you might ever have had about the nuts and bolts of language in his usual highly illuminating way. Along the way we find out about eyebrow flashes, whistling languages, how parents teach their children to speak, how politeness travels across languages and how the way we talk show not just how old we are but where we’re from and even who we want to be.

About the Author
David Crystal is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. He has published over ninety books, most recently The Stories of English, and is the editor of The Penguin Encyclopaedia. In 1995, he was awarded the OBE for services to the English language. He lives in Holyhead, Anglesey.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die
62% buy the item featured on this page:
How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die 3.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£6.49
The Stories of English
16% buy
The Stories of English 5.0 out of 5 stars (6)
£6.49
Listen to Your Child: A Parent's Guide to Children's Language (Penguin Health Books)
9% buy
Listen to Your Child: A Parent's Guide to Children's Language (Penguin Health Books) 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£7.49
The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language
8% buy
The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)
£6.49

 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Good All Rounder, 30 May 2007
By Emma (Hull) - See all my reviews
This book provides easy going summaries of everything to do with language. Students of linguistics will find it useful as it contains a background to all the usual things included in a linguistics degree from phonology to the origins of language. Invaluable.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
14 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars What is the point of this book?, 28 April 2006
By D. Govan (Adelaide) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Anyone expecting to find what the blurb says on this book is in for a big disappointment. There is nothing new, no opinions to chew over just a very rushed synopsis of everything that has to do with language. Anyone who has reached adulthood will know 90% of what this book contains anyway. A good 20% of the book is made up of a listing of world languages - no interesting detail just a listing.

Professor Crystal also holds the very odd view that language evolved 30,000 years ago some 30,000 years after man reached Australia. So how did that happen?
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

Shop the Powerball store

 

More From David Crystal

The Stories of...

The Stories of English by David Crystal

'It should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in language' Read more
£9.99 £6.49

 

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

Shop now

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates