추가 적립 안내

"Illuminating guided tour of our common treasure by one of its most lucid and sensible professionals." ―Times

"A splendid blend of erudition and entertainment." ―THES --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Chapter Page
List of Maps vii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction xi
1. The English Language Today 1
Pidgins and Creoles 13
Part I The Structure of English 19
2. Grammar 21
Grammar and You 32
3. Vocabulary 34
How Large is Your Vocabulary? 46
4. Pronunciation 52
Received Pronunciation 64
5. Spelling 69
Spelling Reform 82
Part II The Uses of English 85
6. Language Variety 87
Trucker Talk 104
7. English at Play 107
Sound Symbolism 124
8. The Effect of Technology 127
Texting 141
9. Personal English 144
Statistical Laws? 157
Part III The History of English 161
10. Old English 163
Casting the Runes 179
11. Middle English 184
The Origins of Modern Standard English 203
12. Early Modern English 207
Words Then and Now 228
13. English Around the World 233
British and American English 264
14. English Today 270
Plain English 285
15. English Tomorrow 292
Appendix A Some Events in English Language History 298
Appendix B A Guide to the Guides 301
Appendix C Data Sources 304
Index 307

This is the definitive survey of the English language - in all its forms. Crystal writes accessibly about the structure of the language, the uses of English throughout the world and finally he gives a brief history of English. The book has been fully revised and there is a fascinating new chapter on 'The effect of technology' on the English language. 'Illuminating guided tour of our common treasure by one of its most lucid and sensible professionals' The Times 'A splendid blend of erudition and entertainment' THES