Product Description

Words, Words, Words is all about the wonder of words. Drawing on a lifetime's experience, David Crystal explores language in all its rich varieties through words: the very building blocks of our communication. Language has no life of its own: it only exists in the mouths and ears, hands, eyes and brains of its users. As we are guided expertly and passionately through the mysteries and delights of word origins, histories, spellings, regional and social variations, taboo words, jargon, and wordplay, the contribution we all play in shaping the linguistic world around us becomes evident. Words, Words, Words is a celebration of what we say and how we say it. It invites us to engage linguistically with who we are: to understand what words tell us about where we come from and what we do. And as they continually shape our lives, it suggests ways that we can look at words anew and get involved with collecting and coining words ourselves.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37656 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

The Independent (Review), May 25, 2007
'Witty.'

Review
Witty. (The Independent (Review) )

David Crystal gives us an enjoyable account of where words came from and what happens to them. (Writing Magazine )

Synopsis
Words, Words, Words is all about the wonder of words. Drawing on a lifetime's experience, David Crystal explores language in all its rich varieties through words: the very building blocks of our communication. Language has no life of its own: it only exists in the mouths and ears, hands, eyes and brains of its users. As we are guided expertly and passionately through the mysteries and delights of word origins, histories, spellings, regional and social variations, taboo words, jargon, and wordplay, the contribution we all play in shaping the linguistic world around us becomes evident. Words, Words, Words is a celebration of what we say and how we say it. It invites us to engage linguistically with who we are: to understand what words tell us about where we come from and what we do. And as they continually shape our lives, it suggests ways that we can look at words anew and get involved with collecting and coining words ourselves.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant Book
Really interesting with exactly the right amount of detail in all the right places. Words Words Words covers a really broad selection topics within the subject of English Language. It's got loads of interesting, quirky facts and discussion points about English whilst being a good read. David Crystal's passion for the subject shines thorough but it is clearly written, for anyone who speaks English so it's not just for people with a vested interest in this topic. If you speak English, you'll find this really interesting.

A nice intro, but not quite meaty enough for me
To write a book about words which is a page-turner would I suppose be a difficult task. So we can forgive David Crystal the fact this is no page-turner. It is, however, an interesting read. It's a well-laid out and accessible book, and I learnt some interesting facts from it. Personally, I'd have liked more coverage of the history of individual words - though the book does have an interesting chapter on the birth and evolution of words - but this is perhaps beyond the remit of such a book. The book is most suitable for someone who is new to the subject of linguistics (as I am), and would probably be too basic for anyone with any kind of existing knowledge of the field.