Identifies and provides concise information about nearly twenty thousand people, places, and scientific and technical terms, with an emphasis on international coverage and up-to-date facts

Why is there an 'h' in ghost? William Caxton, inventor of the printing press and his Flemish employees are to blame: without a dictionary or style guide to hand in fifteenth century Bruges, the typesetters simply spelled it the way it...

The Disappearing Dictionary: A Treasury of Lost English Dialect Words

Where did human language come from? How many languages are there? How do we acquire our first language or learn a second one? The highly acclaimed Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language by David Crystal answers these and other questions...

This volume is one in a series of monographs being issued under the general title of "Disorders of Human Communication". Each monograph deals in detail with a particular aspect of vocal communication and its disorders, and is written by...

This 'engaging history of punctuation' (Wall Street Journal) is not only the first history of its kind, but a complete guide on how to use English punctuation.Behind every punctuation mark lies a thousand stories. The punctuation of...

"The Stories of English" von David Crystal ist ein umfassendes Werk, das die Entwicklung und Vielfalt der englischen Sprache untersucht. Crystal widmet sich der Geschichte des Englischen von seinen Ursprüngen bis zur Gegenwart und...

"The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language" von David Crystal ist ein umfassendes Nachschlagewerk, das die Vielfalt und Komplexität von Sprache untersucht. Das Buch deckt eine breite Palette von Themen ab, darunter die Struktur und...

Banter, chit-chat, gossip, natter, tete-a-tete: these are just a few of the terms for the varied ways in which we interact with one another through conversation. David Crystal explores the factors that motivate so many different kinds of...

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language von Crystal, David

Clear demonstration of how language structures link together, description of features and usage and cautions against easy mistakes. Includes new sections on ethnic variation and electronic communications and analyses of grammar in whole...

A history and discussion of language written specifically for a young audience in an accessible and entertaining style. He sheds light on fascinating aspects of linguistic history and looks forward to the future, exploring the effect of...