David Crystal

Quotes

• “The story of the English writing system is so intriguing, and the histories behind individual words so fascinating, that anyone who dares to treat spelling as an adventure will find the journey rewarding.”

• “Joke exchanges are carried on in deadly earnest, like a verbal duel-mouth-to-mouth combat. Bang, bang: you’re (linguistically) dead.”

• “Language may not determine the way we think, but it does influence the way we perceive and remember, and it affects the ease with which we perform mental tasks.”

• “The structural properties of the language are many and complex, but at least they are finite and fairly easy to identify: there are only so many sounds, letters, and grammatical constructions, and although there is a huge vocabulary, at least the units are determinate and manageable.”

• “Pragmatics studies the factors that govern our choice of language in social interaction and the effects of our choice on others.”

Books by David Crystal in order

Books by David Crystal in the order they were published, from Linguistics, Language and Religion (1965) to Wordsmiths and Warriors (2013).

1. 1Linguistics, Language and ReligionLinguistics, Language and Religion1965
2. 2What Is Linguistics?What Is Linguistics?1968
3. 3Investigating English StyleInvestigating English Style1969
4. 4Prosodic Systems and Intonation in EnglishProsodic Systems and Intonation in English1969
5. 5LinguisticsLinguistics1971
6. 6A First Dictionary of Linguistics and PhoneticsA First Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics1980
7. 7A Dictionary of Linguistics and PhoneticsA Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics1985
8. 8The Cambridge Encyclopedia of LanguageThe Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language1987
9. 9Rediscover GrammarRediscover Grammar1988
10. 10The English LanguageThe English Language1988
11. 11The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English LanguageThe Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language1995
12. 12Rediscover Grammar with David CrystalRediscover Grammar with David Crystal1996
13. 13English as a Global LanguageEnglish as a Global Language1997
14. 14Language and the InternetLanguage and the Internet2001
15. 15Shakespeare's WordsShakespeare's Words2002
16. 16The Stories of EnglishThe Stories of English2004
17. 17How Language WorksHow Language Works2005
18. 18Words, Words, WordsWords, Words, Words2006
19. 19Walking EnglishWalking English2007
20. 20Think On My WordsThink On My Words2008
21. 21A Little Book of LanguageA Little Book of Language2010
22. 22Internet LinguisticsInternet Linguistics2011
23. 23The Story of English in 100 WordsThe Story of English in 100 Words2011
24. 24Wordsmiths and WarriorsWordsmiths and Warriors2013

Lists with books by David Crystal

• Books like Words, Words, Words