A Little Book of Language

by David Crystal

Overview

A lively journey through the story of language, from an infant's first word to the languages of the internet
 
Language never leaves you alone. It’s there in your head, helping you think. It’s there to help you make relationships – and to break them. It’s there to remind you who you are and where you come from.
 
From the first words of an infant to texting and emojis, languages are full of mysteries and quirks. In this entertaining book, renowned author David Crystal sheds light on the development of unique linguistic styles, the origins of obscure accents, and the search for the first written word.
 
Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300283235
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	05/13/2025
Series:	Little Histories
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David Crystal is one of the world's preeminent language specialists. Writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster, he is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. He has written nearly 100 books and has published widely on phonetics, Shakespeare's language, and child language. In 1995 he was awarded the OBE for services to the English language.

Table of Contents

1 Baby-Talk 1

2 From Cries to Words 6

3 Learning How to Understand 14

4 Making Vibrations 21

5 Pronouncing Sounds 28

6 Discovering Grammar 34

7 Having a Conversation 40

8 Learning to Read and Write 45

9 Getting to Grips with Spelling 52

10 Spelling Rules and Variations 58

11 Grammar Rules and Variations 65

12 Accents and Dialects 71

13 Being Bilingual 78

14 The Languages of the World 84

15 The Origins of Speech 92

16 The Origins of Writing 98

17 Modern Writing 104

18 Sign Language 112

19 Comparing Languages 118

20 Dying Languages 125

21 Language Change 131

22 Language Variation 138

23 Language at Work 145

24 Slang 151

25 Dictionaries 157

26 Etymology 163

27 Place Names 169

28 Personal Names 176

29 The Electronic Revolution 183

30 Texting 189

31 Language at Play 195

32 Why use Language? 201

33 Language for Feelings 209

34 Political Correctness 215

35 Language in Literature 221

36 Developing a Style 227

37 The Complexity of Language 233

38 Linguistics 239

39 Applied Linguistics 244

40 Your Language World 250

Index 255

Editorial Reviews

…[Crystal] writes for the true beginner, but does so with his usual clarity and authority, as he ranges from ancient etymologies to modern text-messaging. The chapters…are made doubly engaging by Jean-Manuel Duvivier's frolicsome, highly stylized black-and-white illustrations…Like Gombrich's A Little History of the World, Crystal's A Little Book of Language may be for children (of all ages, as the saying goes), yet it's by no means childish or juvenile. In other words, buy it for your son or daughter, but read it yourself.
—The Washington Post

Michael Dirda

"Demotic, lively, rigorous but unabashedly unpedantic David Crystal remind[s] us that living languages know no boundaries, that they adapt themselves joyously to new conditions. Here he indulges himself with great good humour in his little book of love for the pleasures of language and words worldwide."—Iain Finlayson, The Times

"David Crystal . . . is a charming tour guide. . . . He is excited, not cranky, about how language is changing in the Internet age."—Jan Gardner, The Boston Globe

"A Little Book of Language may be for children (of all ages, as the saying goes), yet it's by no means childish or juvenile. In other words, buy it for your son or daughter, but read it yourself."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post

"Crystal here writes for the true beginner, but does so with his usual clarity and authority, as he ranges from ancient etymologies to modern text-messaging. The chapters—again 40 of them—are made doubly engaging by Jean-Manuel Duvivier's frolicsome, highly stylized black-and-white illustrations."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post

"In his light and amusing A Little Book of Language, David Crystal treats the world's 6,000 tongues—which are disappearing at an alarming rate—as a natural resource no less precious than our oceans and forests."—The Daily Beast

"David Crystal, a well-known linguist, knows about 100,000 words, which is certainly impressive, but he then reminds us that’s only about a 10th of the words in the English language. There’s a good chapter on spelling, a skill that seems to bear surprisingly little relation to intelligence, as well as on the inadequacies of the computer spellchecker, a blind guide indeed. To sample his own feelings for words, see his bit on the word aftermath."—The Sunday Telegraph

". . . an enlightening and entertaining celebration of language and linguistics."—PD Smith, The Guardian

"[An] exhilarating romp through the mysteries and vagaries of language. . . . This is the perfect primer for anyone interested in the subject."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A Little Book of Language is a paean to language in all its guises. Crystal has clearly thought long and hard about his subject. . . . [H]e is always revealing and thought-provoking."—David B. Williams, Seattle Times

"Crystal rolls the basics of language—plus a few quirky insights—into one neat little package."—Seed Magazine

"Delightfully approachable . . . [a] 101-level of study with a heavy helping of charm and nary a dash of condescension."—Megan Stride, PopMatters

"The prolific British language writer, David Crystal, has produced another winner."—Visualthesuarus.com

"David Crystal is not just a great linguist, but a true champion and lover of language."—Benjamin Zephaniah


"An excellent book to put in the hands of anyone first starting to think about the wonders of what we all take for granted, our shared capacity to talk and understand."—Nicholas Ostler, Empires of the Word

"Crystal-clear, witty and informative, a book to bring out the linguist in us all."—Roger McGough

From the Publisher

“The prolific British language writer, David Crystal, has produced another winner.”—Visualthesuarus.com

Visualthesuarus.com

"Delightfully approachable. . . [a] 101-level of study with a heavy helping of charm and nary a dash of condescension."--Megan Stride, PopMatters

PopMatters - Megan Stride

“In his light and amusing A Little Book of Language, David Crystal treats the world's 6,000 tongues—which are disappearing at an alarming rate—as a natural resource no less precious than our oceans and forests.”—The Daily Beast

The Daily Beast

“Crystal here writes for the true beginner, but does so with his usual clarity and authority, as he ranges from ancient etymologies to modern text-messaging. The chapters--again 40 of them--are made doubly engaging by Jean-Manuel Duvivier's frolicsome, highly stylized black-and-white illustrations.”--Michael Dirda, Washington Post

Washington Post - Michael Dirda

“Crystal rolls the basics of language--plus a few quirky insights--into one neat little package.”--Seed Magazine

Seed Magazine

“David Crystal. . . is a charming tour guide. . . . He is excited, not cranky, about how language is changing in the Internet age.”--Jan Gardner, The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe - Jan Gardner

“A Little Book of Language is a paean to language in all its guises. Crystal has clearly thought long and hard about his subject. . . .[H]e is always revealing and thought-provoking.”--David B. Williams, Seattle Times

Seattle Times - David B. Williams

'Crystal-clear, witty and informative, a book to bring out the linguist in us all.' - Roger McGough

Roger McGough

"An excellent book to put in the hands of anyone first starting to think about the wonders of what we all take for granted, our shared capacity to talk and understand." - Nicholas Ostler, Empires of the Word

Nicholas Ostler

"David Crystal is not just a great linguist, but a true champion and lover of language."—Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah

“Demotic, lively, rigorous but unabashedly unpedantic David Crystal remind[s] us that living languages know no boundaries, that they adapt themselves joyously to new conditions. Here he indulges himself with great good humour in his little book of love for the pleasures of language and words worldwide.” — Iain Finlayson, The Times (London)

The Times (London) - Iain Finlayson

"Delightfully approachable. . . [a] 101-level of study with a heavy helping of charm and nary a dash of condescension."--Megan Stride, PopMatters

— Megan Stride

PopMatters

“Crystal here writes for the true beginner, but does so with his usual clarity and authority, as he ranges from ancient etymologies to modern text-messaging. The chapters--again 40 of them--are made doubly engaging by Jean-Manuel Duvivier''s frolicsome, highly stylized black-and-white illustrations.”--Michael Dirda, Washington Post

— Michael Dirda

Washington Post

“David Crystal. . . is a charming tour guide. . . . He is excited, not cranky, about how language is changing in the Internet age.”--Jan Gardner, The Boston Globe

— Jan Gardner

The Boston Globe

“A Little Book of Language is a paean to language in all its guises. Crystal has clearly thought long and hard about his subject. . . .[H]e is always revealing and thought-provoking.”--David B. Williams, Seattle Times

— David B. Williams

Seattle Times

“Demotic, lively, rigorous but unabashedly unpedantic David Crystal remind[s] us that living languages know no boundaries, that they adapt themselves joyously to new conditions. Here he indulges himself with great good humour in his little book of love for the pleasures of language and words worldwide.” — Iain Finlayson, The Times (London)

— Iain Finlayson

The Times (London)