The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (Hardcover)

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Review
‘A delight and a treasure … David Crystal does a brilliant job of satisfying our curiosity about our mother tongue while illuminating the deepest questions of who we are and where we come from. A magnificent achievement.’ Steven Pinker

‘David Crystal is phenomenal … This is a prodigious achievement … The book contains breadth of range, imaginative insight, and deep understanding … It is pervasively readable and stimulating.’ Professor the Lord Quirk, FBA

‘… a superb work that manages to be both scholarly and vastly entertaining … This is a deeply impressive book, for it packs between two covers virtually everything any normal person might care to know about English.’ The Washington Post Book World

‘… bedazzles … with an eye-popping presentation of … the mother tongue.’ The New York Times ‘… scholarly and entertaining … the range, scholarly value, interest, attractiveness and (often) humour of the tables, graphics, illustrations, photographs, colour plates, maps, and quoted material is quite stunning. rarely has serious information been presented so colourfully, so strikingly. A splendid work, essential in all libraries and destined to live a long and useful life.’ Reference Reviews

‘I have been unable to think of a question this book cannot answer … I will risk predicting that Professor Crystal will not be superseded much before the message sent into space on Voyager I... receives an answer.’ The Times Literary Supplement

‘… it gives … the whole history and grammar, all the theory and practice of English with precision, panache and wit.’ The Observer

‘… without a doubt one of the most beautiful and enlightening volumes I have handled in some years.’ Western Australia Sunday Times ‘… an outstanding work … The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language will surely remain the definite text in the field for some time to come.’ fun-with-words.com

‘…the most diverting, delightful, imaginative and altogether entertaining compilation ever assembled about spoken and written English.’ Parade Magazine

‘… bedazzles you with an eye-popping presentation of the cluck-clucking of the mother tongue. If you like fireworks with your information, this is a worthwhile language book..." William Safire, The New York Times Magazine ‘… this remarkable book is a goldmine of learning and knowledge … All readers … should find great value, and great pleasure, in this amazing reference book.’ Cambridge

‘… contains a monstrous amount of information on a fascinating topic arranged in a clear, concise, and, above all, entertaining manner - a dangerous combination indeed, and one that can only lead to uncontrolable reading binges lasting hours or perhaps days.’ Quill and Quire

‘You can open it to any page and be enthralled.’ Indianapolis News ‘the Encyclopedia is, of course, a serious work of scholarship, but it is eminently readable.’ The Hindu

‘… offers a wealth of enlightening entertainment. You can’t turn a page without learning some fascinating tidbit about our common tongue.’ Houston Chronicle

‘Fully illustrated in colour throughout, this readable, stimulating reference book will appeal not only to teachers and students of English, but also to anyone who uses, and loves, the language.’ The Good Book Guide

'A delight for language lovers. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language provides a comprehensive overview of the language.' The Guardian ‘… a marvellous, dip-in, refer to cornucopia of a book …’. Writers’ Forum

‘For the love of English! Linguistic fanatics will delight in this new edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language … Written with great wit, flair and fluency, the encyclopaedia is a truly enjoyable read. It will develop in the reader a whole new appreciation of the English language.’ The Star, Malaysia

Product Description
This second edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language now presents an overhaul of the subject for a new generation of language-lovers and of teachers, students and professional English-users concerned with their own linguistic legacy. The length of the book has been extended and there are 44 new illustrations, extensive new material on world English and Internet English, a complete updating of statistics, further reading suggestions and other references.

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First Sentence
The history of English is a fascinating field of study in its own right, but it also provides a valuable perspective for the contemporary study of the language, and thus makes an appropriate opening section for this book. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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9 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   22 of 22 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, 17 Jan 2006 By  "leahhuk" - See all my reviews This review is from: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (Paperback) This book is essential for anyone studying language or linguistics at degree level. Crystal is the man when it comes to this subject and I'm sure this book and many more of his will be assisting me with the MA in Linguistics that I plan to pursue. It is books like this that have fed my enthusiasm for the English language and encouraged further study! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   39 of 41 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars An EXCELLENT all round look at the English Language., 24 Nov 1999 By A Customer This review is from: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (Hardcover) This book is excellent for looking at linguistics surrounding the English language. It gives good summaries of topics including most of the relevant details, without overloading you with unnecessary information. The book is as its title says 'an encyclopaedia'. It's meant for quick reference. There are a range of tables, graphs and maps, which makes interpreting data quick and simple. This book is good for all those studying linguistics and those who have just a remote interest in the subject. I would highly recommend this book. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A bible, 6 Jan 2006 By  Bex M "bexy85" (England) - See all my reviews Superb! Must have for anybody interested in or studying English language, it is fascinating and has been my bible throughout my Alevel and now in to my degree. Really worth the money. David Crystal is an inspiration to Language users and students. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 9 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Almost everything for Basic English language Knowledge David Crystal is highly regarded in the English language World, and this book refelcts that. As a first year A level student studying the subject i found this book great in detail... Read more Published 2 months ago by E. Milner 5.0 out of 5 stars Crystal Clear Crystal's magnum opus is an intricate study of everything to do with the study of English Language. As an A-level English teacher I have habitually dipped into my copy when... Read more Published 2 months ago by Binro The Heretic 5.0 out of 5 stars Monumental If David Crystal had written nothing else - and all that he has written is worth reading - this alone would justify his place among the ranks of the great linguists. Published 5 months ago by Barrie England 5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for any student of literacy or English This book was essential reading for me during my literacy specialist tutor training, and two years later it is still in regular use. Read more Published 11 months ago by A. I. McCulloch 5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT but where to start? A: At anypoint of interest .As a student of Linguistics and the English language at the University of Wales, Bangor, this is an invaluble book. Read more Published on 17 Jan 2000 by elu497@bangor.ac.uk 4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable tool for any student of the english language Crystal's encyclopedia is well referenced and gives a good introduction - often more - into a wide range of issues relating to the development and use of language. Read more Published on 5 Jan 2000 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 9 customer reviews...

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