By Hook Or by Crook - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook By Hook Or by Crook write by David Crystal. This book was released on 2007. By Hook Or by Crook available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. A delightfully discursive, Bill Bryson-esque and personal journey through the groves and the thickets of the English language, by our foremost scholar of the history and structure of the English language.
The Story of English in 100 Words
The Story of English in 100 Words - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Story of English in 100 Words write by David Crystal. This book was released on 2011-10-13. The Story of English in 100 Words available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Featuring Latinate and Celtic words, weasel words and nonce-words, ancient words ('loaf') to cutting edge ('twittersphere') and spanning the indispensable words that shape our tongue ('and', 'what') to the more fanciful ('fopdoodle'), Crystal takes us along the winding byways of language via the rude, the obscure and the downright surprising. In this unique new history of the world's most ubiquitous language, linguistics expert David Crystal draws on words that best illustrate the huge variety of sources, influences and events that have helped to shape our vernacular since the first definitively English word was written down in the fifth century ('roe', in case you are wondering).
Eish, but is it English?
Eish, but is it English? - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Eish, but is it English? write by Rajend Mesthrie. This book was released on 2011-12-05. Eish, but is it English? available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. "What makes South African English different? Have you ever wondered where the words ‘gogga’, ‘tsotsi’ and ‘larney’ come from? Did you know that the first sentence uttered by a South African in English may have been spoken by a Khoikhoi man in 1613? South African English is unique and is made up of several varieties. This entertaining and informative book looks at the forms of English spoken here, where they come from and how they fit into the spectrum of world Englishes. Humorous and engaging, it is packed with common expressions, slang, grammatical variations and distinctive South African words and phrases, including ‘just now’, ‘busy waiting’ and, of course, ‘eish’. The book explores the influence of Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa and other languages on English as it is spoken in the diverse context of South Africa. It considers the social implications of language, questions notions of correctness and incorrectness, and celebrates South African English for its innovations and expressiveness. Eish, but is it English? is a book for everyone who is interested in the way we use language and make it our own. "
Just A Phrase I'm Going Through
Just A Phrase I'm Going Through - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Just A Phrase I'm Going Through write by David Crystal. This book was released on 2009-06-02. Just A Phrase I'm Going Through available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. A cross between an autobiography and an introductory to linguistics which will serve multiple purposes and appeal to both students and the general reader alike. Crystal's engaging writing style makes this both entertaining and informative, a valuable combination Answers the all important question 'What is linguistics?' and 'What do linguistics do?' through the personal story of this hugely successul and popular linguist. Includes an 8-page colour plate section with over 60 photos.
Walking English
Walking English - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Walking English write by David Crystal. This book was released on 2009-09-29. Walking English available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. From an acclaimed linguist, “part travelogue, part memoir, and part meditation on the intellectual and emotional underpinnings of language. . . . Priceless.” (Booklist) In this discursive jaunt through the groves and thickets of the English language, David Crystal creates an entertaining narrative account of his encounters with the language and its speakers. Woven from personal reflections, historical allusions, and observations of travelers, this fascinating journey through the language we use every day will have readers thinking twice about each word they speak. Starting in Wales and moving from England to San Francisco by way of, yes, Poland, Crystal encounters numerous linguistic side roads that he cannot resist exploring, from pubs to trains to Tolkien. Walking English is a captivating exploration of language by “one of England’s greatest living language commentators.” (The New Statesman) “In a conversational style that includes plenty of quirky facts, Crystal captures the exploratory, seductive, teasing, quirky, tantalizing nature of language study, and in doing so illuminates the fascinating world of words in which we live.” —Publishers Weekly “An informative, transformative trip into the mysterious, mutating, magical thicket of English.” (Kirkus Reviews) “Like passing the afternoon with a knowledgeable uncle.” —The Wall Street Journal “The Dr. Johnson of our age.” —The Sunday Herald “The book reads like a donnish Bill Bryson, a Bryson possessed with a maniacal passion for the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language! . . . [A] compelling guide.” —Independent “Crystal proves an entertaining companion! It is pleasant to ramble with him along the byways of language.” —The Tablet
