The Stories of English: Amazon.co.uk: David Crystal: Books

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Product Description

Financial Times Magazine, June 26, 2004

'learned but lively'

The Scotsman, June 19, 2004

'It should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in language'

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First Sentence
There was variety from the very beginning. Read the first page

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9 Reviews

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4.4 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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85 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece, 24 Jan 2005

By	jfp2006 (PARIS/France) - See all my reviews

David Crystal is quite probably the best authority there is on the English language past and present, and in "The Stories of English" he has visibly excelled himself. From "Beowulf" and the earliest documents in Old English right up to the specific features of text-messaging, and looking beyond to the twenty-first-century English-speaking world of his grandchildren, here is an impeccably researched history of the language.
The title gives an immediate clue to the originality of this book, throughout which Professor Crystal is at pains to show that, alongside "standard English", there are all the other varieties of the language which, in the name of a purism which he skilfully shows to be misplaced, have most often been either denigrated or ignored by other historical works of this kind.
Perhaps David Crystal's major achievement is that he succeeds in being scholarly without ever being pedantic. His attention to detailed research is impressive, and yet the reader never once gets bogged down in theoretical linguistics. The writer's approach is resolutely of a sociolinguistic nature, and he constantly draws attention to the links between language and society and the way in which the evolution of one is always conditioned by the evolution of the other. He is particularly good on the language of Shakespeare, and unsparing in his criticism of the "absolute rubbish" propagated on the subject of the bard by "enthusiastic linguistic amateurs".
But David Crystal's book really makes its major point in the way in which prescriptive norms are demonstrated to be arbitrary - however necessary they may also be. The book sets out an unanswerable counter-argument to all those who earnestly equate "good" English with good behaviour, and even with morality. The writer points out, with wonderful deadpan humour, that "some of the most respectable people I know speak nonstandard grammar; and conversely, there are several villains around whose standard grammar is impeccable."
Professor Crystal's book reads like a novel, and in a sense it is both an adventure story and a love story. The hardback is a work of art, with an index and very complete bibliographical sources. And, as far as I could see, not a single printing mistake. And not a syllable out of place, either.
If you're interested in the history of the English language, don't wait for the paperback, splash out �25 and get this. It's worth every penny.

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57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, 27 Jul 2004

By	The Fisher Price King "Straight from the gut" (London) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

In this authoritative history of the English language, David Crystal tells two different stories: one is about the development of standard English, and the other is about all its fascinating variant forms (dialects, slangs, the sociolects of particular groups - e.g. Internet users and hobbits!). The value of this is that so-called non-standard forms of English aren't demonized, as they have been in many other histories of the language. Yet at the same time Crystal explains why there are virtues in a standard version of English. This is a well-written book, covering a huge amount of material in pleasingly manageable chunks, with some great asides and interludes (Father Ted, anybody?). It beats the competition hands down.

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24 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read!, 2 Jun 2005

By A Customer

This review is from: The Stories of English (Paperback)

This book is really helping me with my A2 English Language module on the development and change of language. It is really factual but easy to read - I am remembering and learning so much through reading the book! If you are interested in our language then no doubt you'll treasure it forever!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars TEXT TOO SMALL TO READ
I use reading glasses and have no problem reading with them. However - I found the size of the text too small in this book and consequently I have not been able to read it... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Mrs. A. E. Ellis

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but flawed
I enjoyed this book but was irritated by it in equal measure. The enjoyment came from its exploration of how English developed down the centuries and its wanderings along the bye... Read more

Published 2 months ago by PC

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
This is a fascinating book. The interludes between each chapter give some light relief from the intensity and the panels within the chapters have some intriguing information... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Mrs. J. A. Martin

5.0 out of 5 stars Kiosk, caravan and dungaree
This is a long and thorough - but never dull - read, tracing the history of the English language from its obscure Germanic origins to its current international status, and giving... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Bob Ventos

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book
I have come late to English having only just scraped a pass at O level 35 years ago. I was sitting on a plane and saw someone on the seat opposite the aisle reading this book... Read more

Published 13 months ago by David Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Another excellent book by the Language Expert, David Crystal. This was on the recommended reading list for a module of my English degree course, and found it both a fascinating... Read more

Published 16 months ago by Anonymous

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The Stories of English (Hardcover)

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Financial Times Magazine, June 26, 2004

The Scotsman, June 19, 2004

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