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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language

Average customer rating:

good breadth; a bit shallow
1st Edition same as 2nd Edition and a lot Cheaper
An excellent help for all interested in English language!
A broad look at the English Language - great articles and amply illustrated
This encyclopedia is fun!

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
David Crystal
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language
The Stories of English
The Origins and Development of the English Language
A History of the English Language
The Story of English: Third Revised Edition

ASIN: 0521530334

Book Description

Rarely has a book so packed with accurate and well researched factual information been so widely read and popularly acclaimed. This Second Edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language has been fully revised for a new generation of language-lovers. The book is longer and includes extensive new material on world English and Internet English, in addition to completely updated statistics, further reading suggestions and other references. First Edition Hb (1995): 0-521-40179-8 First Edition Pb (1997): 0-521-59655-6 David Crystal is a leading authority on language, and author of many books, including most recently Shakespeare's Words (Penguin, 2002), Language and the Internet (Cambridge, 2001) and Language Death (Cambridge, 2000). An internationally renowned writer, journal editor, lecturer and broadcaster, he received an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his services to the English language.

Customer Reviews:

good breadth; a bit shallow.......2007-03-23

This book is somewhere between a reference and an entertainment. It has a large amount of material, some useful as well as other that is merely curious. It is beautifully printed, but the large format might be difficult to handle. Open it anywhere and you are sure to find something you did not know.

1st Edition same as 2nd Edition and a lot Cheaper.......2006-12-15

Buy the 1st Edition and save yourself thirty bucks.

It's got the same cover (but a different color), the same number of pages (506 pages) and is as far as I can tell, the exact same book. I'm tired of "edition inflation." Buy the first edition and save yourself a lot of money.

An excellent help for all interested in English language!.......2006-02-18

I'm a student of the Department of English Studies in Poland and I found the book a great help; everything's explained accurately and clearly, and the general layout is so neat that it's a pleasure to read the book! Of course, the book will be extremely helpful mostly for people really interestd in the English linguistics and similar topics closely connected with English language. Personally, I find the book just GREAT; it met my expectations and it's one of the most precious books in my whole library! RECOMMENDED!!!!

A broad look at the English Language - great articles and amply illustrated.......2005-07-26

We use English everyday. We even studied spelling and grammar in school (maybe not as much as we should have studied). However, most of us do not know the origins of the language, how it has changed over the centuries, or its variants around the globe. Today, English is used by more people in India than in the United Kingdom and the United States combined. So, whose English is authoritative and why? I am not saying it is not the Queen's English that is not the standard of our language, I am just pointing out that there is room for discussion and reconsideration.

David Crystal has provided an amply illustrated journey through English that begins with considerations of what a model of English might look like and then takes us through a fascinating history of our language from the Old English through today's World English. Part II provides five chapters on the vocabulary and lexicon of English. Part III tackles the knotty problem of English grammar. Part IV discusses spoken and written English, Part V talks about the varieties of using English by region, societal variation, and even personal variation. Part VI talks about learning and studying English. The appendices are full of useful information such as a glossary, references, further reading list, index, and so forth.

The book is worth having just for the concise history it provides the English language, but the other discussions are worth knowing about and considering the various points of view the author provides us. As always, it is not necessary to agree with everything provided by a scholar to benefit from what he provides us. Just wrestling with the ideas and clarifying why you disagree with this or that point, or digging deeper to gain a richer understanding than the author provides are certainly worthwhile benefits to be gained.

An excellent read and reference for your bookshelf.

This encyclopedia is fun!.......2004-07-01

I've wanted this book for ages and finally got it as a birthday present. A real doll to everyone interested in the English language, in all its little quirks and finenesses. Heaps of knowledge from the depths of history to present day, funny examples and interesting articles that bring the book to life - you can browse it through dozens of times and still find something new. A superb and humorous encyclopedia for all fans of linguistics.

Average customer rating:

excellent overview of language
A brief comment
A good Encyclopedia of language
EVERYTHING!
A Linguaphile's Delight

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language
David Crystal
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language
Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to More than 400 Languages
Language Myths
The World's Major Languages

ASIN: 0521559677

Amazon.com

In the late 1980s David Crystal wrote his testament to human language, celebrating the world's diversity and reveling in the beauty and complexity of expression. But even great references need the occasional overhaul. Crystal's new edition takes into account the linguistic changes wrought in the decade since the original's inception. With the introduction of new topics (conversational misunderstandings, for example), a more pleasing typeface, and full-color pictures, the tour de force that was his first edition has been upgraded to a new level of quality.

Book Description

This Second Edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language presents a mass of new information and introduces the subject of language to a fresh generation of students and general readers. Probably the most successful general study of language ever published, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language covers all the major themes of language study, including popular ideas about language, language and identity, the structure of language, speaking and listening, writing, reading, and signing, language acquisition, the neurological basis of language, and languages of the world. Exposing this work to a new generation of readers, the Second Edition extends the range of coverage to include advances in areas such as machine translation, speech interaction with machines, and language teaching. There is new material on acoustics, physiological concepts of language, and World English, and a complete update of the language distribution maps, language-speaking statistics, table of the world's languages, and further reading. All geopolitical material has been revised to take account of boundary changes. The book has been redesigned and is presented for the first time in full color, with new pictures and maps added.

Customer Reviews:

excellent overview of language.......2006-08-27

David Crystal's Encylcopedia of Language is an excellent and readable book for lay-people like myself. I often come to it for information on a particular language-related question, or else I'll just open it up at random and see where I land.

There are plenty of diagrams and coloured pictures throughout, as well and quite a few interesting stories placed in vignettes.

As other reveiwers have pointed out, a huge range of topics are included here. I'm yet to find an aspect of language that hasn't been covered in some way.

A brief comment.......2004-11-22

This book is a linguaphile and language lover's delight, to read or just to browse like a coffee table book. It covers just about every major topic in the study of language you can think of, from traditional classical and comparative philology and linguistics to modern developmental and neurological studies of language.

The book is comprised of 11 major sections and 65 smaller sections, with 8 appendices devoted to various topics, and there is an extensive glossary of linguistic terms as well as a table giving essential information about almost 1000 of the world's languages. Although a scholarly book, it's well written and Crystal never gets overly pedantic or dry. This is no doubt one of the most comprehensive and detailed compendia of information for the general reader about the subject of language ever written.

After reading this, you'll be more than ready to tackle a formal or more technical introductory text in linguistics, if you want to continue your studies. If you do, I highly recommend David Lyons's classic, Introduction to Theoretical Linguistics, now out of print but worth getting if you can find a used copy. If you can't find that there are several other recent texts that are quite good. But if you decide to stick with this book, you'll still have learned a lot. Whichever way you decide, good luck and happy reading.

A good Encyclopedia of language.......2004-05-01

Indeed ,David Crystal is a great and famous linguist of this century .His books about language are very important for students and common readers .His book "What is linguistics "is a good book for students ,but this book is important and informative for all people with scholars .There are several useful mapes and tables which guide a reader to understand the different family of languages.

I am siraiki speaking person .It was natural for me to read about my language,but Crystal is not aware about Siraiki language .He wrote its very old name Lahnda .I hope he will correct it in next edition

EVERYTHING!.......2003-12-17

This book contains everything a linguist would ever want. David Crystal has brought together everything he knows about child language aquisition, journalese and a plethora of other topics which are too vast to mention. Definately worth every penny. There is hours of reading and learning to be done with this book, and each page brings new and interesting facts, even though the original book is over a decade old! the perfect gift for a loved linguist, a fact-finder of a friend and even has a use in the hands of the illiterate!

A Linguaphile's Delight.......2002-12-05

_The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language_, Second Edition, by David Crystal is a linguaphile's delight. It provides a wealth of information to engage the mind indefinitely.

Instead of being organized alphabetically, as most encyclopedias are, _The Encyclopedia of Language_ is divided into eleven parts that comprise sixty-five thematic sections. Each section includes a comprehensive discussion of the theme, enhanced by sidebars and colorful visuals. Sections range in length from two to twenty pages, making the chunks of information small enough to be palatable yet large enough to be satisfying.

Topics addressed include language and thought, the structure of language, the anatomy and physiology of speech, written language, language acquisition, languages of the world, language disabilities, and language change. Obviously, this is only a sample. In addition, the book has eight appendices, including an extensive glossary and a table giving information about nearly 1,000 of the world's languages.

While many of Crystal's topics have their technical aspects, the author keeps his tone conversational and his information accessible to the lay reader. In this way he celebrates the existence of human language and deepens our appreciation of it.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Hunters and Gatherers
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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Hunters and Gatherers

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cultural | Anthropology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Hunter-Gatherers: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (Biosocial Society Symposium Series)

Kalahari Hunter-Gatherers: Studies of the !Kung San & Their Neighbors

Hunters and Gatherers, Volume 1: History, Evolution and Social Change (Explorations in Anthropology)

Hunters and Gatherers, Volume II: Property, Power and Ideology (Explorations in Anthropology)

Hunter-Gatherers in History, Archaeology and Anthropology

ASIN: 0521609194

Book Description

Hunting and gathering peoples, including Kalahari Bushmen, Australian aborigines, Eskimos, and Pygmies, are the subject of endless appeal. This illustrated reference volume is the first devoted exclusively to hunting and gathering peoples that is both accessible to the nonspecialist and written by leading scholars. It is a state-of-the-art summary of knowledge on the subject, covering an extraordinary range of materials: case studies of over fifty of the world's hunter-gatherers, the archaeological background, religion and world view, music and art, questions of gender, health and nutrition, and contemporary rights.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution (Cambridge Reference Book)

Average customer rating:

Some interesting ideas, much padding
The need for a new paradigm: intelligent design
Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution
up to date, wide range and scientific yet readable book

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution (Cambridge Reference Book)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution
Extinct Humans
Human Origins : The Fossil Record
Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction
Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness

ASIN: 0521467861

Book Description

This is a new and refreshing introduction to the human species that places modern humans squarely in evolutionary perspective and treats evolution itself as a continuing genetic process in which every one of us is involved. Over seventy scholars worldwide have collaborated on the Encyclopedia, which is divided into ten main sections. Following a keynote introduction asking simply "What makes us human?", the coverage ranges widely: from genetics, primatology and fossil origins to human biology and ecology, brain function and behavior, and demography and disease. Emphasis is placed throughout on the biological diversity of modern people and the increasing convergence of the fossil and genetic evidence for human evolution that has emerged in recent years. Because of the need to look at humankind in the context of our closest relatives, the Encyclopedia also pays particular attention to the evolution and ecology of the living primates--lemurs, lorises, monkeys and apes. It deals with the evolution and ecology of human society, as reconstructed from archaeological remains, and from studies of indigenous peoples and living primates today. It considers the biology of uniquely human abilities such as language and upright walking, and it reviews the biological future of humankind in the face of challenges greater than those ever before experienced. Boxes highlighting key issues and techniques are provided throughout the text, and there are numerous maps, photographs, diagrams, and ready-reference tables--all the reader needs in a single volume to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of how humankind has developed and how scientists set about investigating the origin of our species.

Customer Reviews:

Some interesting ideas, much padding.......2004-05-18

Anyone who is interested in understanding human origins is likely to be attracted to this book. It actually consists of a very comprehensive collection of articles by specialists - specialists on everything from "The structure of DNA" to "Tribal peoples in the modern world." Hidden away among all this specialised knowledge are some interesting conclusions, but they take a lot of searching for. There is one on page 358 - a three-quarter page box headed "Throwing". Barbara Isaac suggests that our ancestors, lacking sharp canine teeth or claws, made up for it, once their hand were freed from walking duties, by becoming good at throwing stones. There is another exciting idea on page 88. In another three-quarter page box, M H Day suggests that bipedalism involved a smaller pelvic girdle, which made it more difficult to give birth to a big-brained baby.

There are some more exciting ideas, but the great bulk of the text, whilst good background material for the specialised anthropologist, doesn't tell us anything very interesting. Some of it is downright irrelevant, merely filling up space. Why did we need an article on the New World Monkeys? They are nothing to do with our ancestry. And why must the book start off by trotting out the old chestnut about life starting off 3000 million years ago as "short stretches of nucleic acid floating in a chemical sea". Those who still believe that, do so on faith alone - it's science fiction. The truth is that no one knows how life began, if indeed it ever did begin.

What the book lacks, above all, is an intelligent overview, someone who can draw the strands together and tell us what it all means - the kind of overview that is attempted on the site evolution-of-man.info. Perhaps we should not expect this kind of overview. Certainly we don't get it.

The need for a new paradigm: intelligent design.......2002-03-06

The pieces of the puzzle simply don't fit. One doesn't have to go through the subjects of the prebiotic soup, the origins of life, the cambrian explosion, irreducible complexity of molecular machines, the fossil record, micro and macroevolution, the fine-tunning of the universe for life, to make that clear. It is already abundantly clear. That is one of the reasons there should be a place for intelligent design in science. The other, of course, lies in the fact that intelligent design has already presented itself as a viable research paradigm. It is not enough to say, as evolutionary theorists like to say, that, as Dr. David L. Haury puts it, "science has no statement to make beyond the natural world". The problem, though, is that science may be working with a flawed conception of natural world in the first place, by conflating nature with matter. The fact is that information may be a structural and internal part of nature, as it is a structural part of computer "hardware" and "software". It is impossible to deal with computers from a purely naturalistic or materialistic perspective that excludes intelligent design in advance. The same may be true about the "natural world", and science has certainly something to say about that. Naturalist "scientists" may want laugh and scorn of intelligent design. But theirs is a partial, interested and biased laughter, as is the laughter of a Republican towards a campaign finance reform bill proposed by a Democrat. This kind of laughter must not be taken seriously.

Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution.......2000-02-16

Excellent work. In depth treatment of the subject yet accesible to everyone.It covers every imaginable aspect of human evolution by the men and woman that are at the frontiers of this science.

up to date, wide range and scientific yet readable book.......1999-08-03

this book fully covers the subject and gives all the scientific details in depth and up to date. many contributors and many graphics. few personal biases, discussion in a scientific style where other books are narrative / prosaic.

The Making of Johnson's Dictionary 17461773 (Cambridge Studies in Publishing and Printing History)

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The Making of Johnson's Dictionary 17461773 (Cambridge Studies in Publishing and Printing History)
Allen Reddick
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0521568382

Book Description

Following the discovery of manuscript materials, including hundreds of unpublished additions and changes, for Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, Allen Reddick describes the conception, composition, writing, and subsequent revision of the first great English dictionary, and the only dictionary created by a great writer. In this second edition of his acclaimed study, Reddick incorporates new commentary and scholarship, and situates The Making of Johnson's Dictionary in current critical and scholarly debate.

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The Cambridge Paperback Encyclopedia

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 052166800X

Book Description

Now in its third edition, The Cambridge Paperback Encyclopedia provides in a highly accessible format the essential details about a wide range of subjects and people. Part of the famous family of single-volume reference works from Cambridge, the book offers unrivalled value for money and is already a presence in homes, studies, offices, classrooms and libraries the world over. This edition has been revised, extended and thoroughly updated, with 1,100 pages of facts and figures.??• A model of conciseness and economy of style?• Includes a 970-page A–Z section and 110-page Ready Reference section?• Over 20,000 entries, with 600 maps and illustrations?• 500 more entries and 15,000 more words than in the previous edition?• Derived from The Cambridge Encyclopedia - acclaimed as the most authoritative single-volume reference work available?• Provides informative and reliable international coverage - both biographical and general - of sport, science, geography, history and politics

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Escential for Language Buffs

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language.
David Crystal
Manufacturer: Klett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3125396611

Customer Reviews:

Escential for Language Buffs.......2006-12-23

An invaluable encyclopedia, lavishly illustrated, on anything one might want to know about language and languages. This selection has been at arm's length from my desk for 10 years now.

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A Politics Oriented "Academic" Fact Finder
A Useful Treasure Chest of Facts and Figures
Complete omnibus of essential information
Good value for money
the fastest reference tool for factual information

The Cambridge Factfinder

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

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The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2006 (World Almanac and Book of Facts)
Rebecca

ASIN: 0521794358

Amazon.com

Like any good world almanac, The Cambridge Factfinder contains a ton of obscure information that you conceivably might need to know, but won't necessarily remember: the population of Iceland (268,000), the 1935 American League Most Valuable Player (Hank Greenberg, Detroit Tigers), and a chart of bones in the human body (there are 208 of them). It even includes a list of world championship trampoliners. The maps and other graphics are exceptional--much better than the ones appearing in similar volumes--and all measurements are helpfully listed in both metric and American units. It is an excellent all-purpose, single-volume reference book.

Book Description

The Cambridge Factfinder is the most comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date general factbook available. Now in its Fourth Edition, the book has been regularly revised and updated, gaining a reputation for its accessibility and for the breadth of its coverage. Unlike most factbooks, The Cambridge Factfinder has a very full index (running to some 130 pages), which allows users to find information quickly and reliably. Helpfully organised into thematic sections which cover everything from science and technology through sports and games to religion and mythology, with a very thorough summary of statistics relating to countries of the world, the economy, communications, and world history, the book provides accurate answers to the widest possible range of questions. This is the ultimate one-stop reference work for anyone with an enquiring mind or a regular need to check facts and figures. This Fourth Edition has been re-designed to incorporate more information than ever before.

Customer Reviews:

A Politics Oriented "Academic" Fact Finder.......2001-10-03

The book is supposed to be an academic objective fact list, but unfortunately it involves lots of political considerations regarding to the decisions about which facts to include. For example, Israel is ommited from many country lists (e.g. from the academic institution list - there is no Israely university over there!), and many African (French-oriented) countries. It's a pitty to find a book coming from Cambridge so politics oriented. This is not a real academic fact finder! - Grahm K.R. Schneider

A Useful Treasure Chest of Facts and Figures.......2001-04-25

The Cambridge Factfinder is a very useful reference for anyone doing research into almost any subject. I have found myself refering to this book quite often over the years to obtain obscure information that is often hard to find quickly in other places. Like the Almanac, it has a whole host of current and historical information. This is definitely a recommended reference for anyone's library who does any sort of writing or research work. I found it both interesting to browse through, as well as a quick useful reference.

Complete omnibus of essential information.......2001-01-14

This book is a complete database of essential information. Subjects covered vary from Astronomy to music and from Country information to mathematical formulae. Other random information in the book include Shakespeare's plays, genetic information, famous artists, political leaders, composition of food(e.g. fat content in food) to name just a few.

Best of all, the information is up to date, pretty accurate and easy to find.

The most complete and reader "friendly" reference books, I have ever read.

Good value for money.......1999-06-23

This is the perfect reference book to have. Has a lot of information.

Though some of the data gets old, most of it is very usable.

the fastest reference tool for factual information.......1998-12-24

This book contains information ranging from mathematical equations to pop star's greatest hits. Whatever you are looking for, FACTFINDER is the book to have. It is formatted better than your typical Almanac and is especially helpful with geographical information, as it includes maps to easily identify where a given country is located.

Average customer rating:

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
David Crystal
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000R0EGEE

The Cambridge Guide to Fiction in English

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The Cambridge Guide to Fiction in English

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0521576172

Book Description

The Cambridge Guide to Fiction in English, an alphabetized reference work with over 2,000 entries, will be an invaluable resource to anyone with an interest in the novel, whether studying, teaching or reading for pleasure. Writers and major works from the UK and USA are represented, as are those from the rest of the English-speaking world - Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India, and the Caribbean. Particular types of novels (from the Gothic to the campus novel) receive detailed coverage as do trends in fiction (such as realism and naturalism) and popular genres (detective, spy and science fiction). Based on the Guide to Literature in English, this book has a substantial number of new entries and has been completely updated. An original and thought-provoking introduction analyses the historical development and current form of the novel; a selective bibliography indicates areas for further reading, and an appendix lists recipients of all the major literary prizes.

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