The penguin book of facts

Wherever you go in the English-speaking world, there are linguistic riches from times past awaiting rediscovery. All you have to do is choose a location, find some old documents, and dig a little. In The Disappearing Dictionary, linguistics expert Professor David Crystal collects together delightful dialect words that either provide an insight into an older way of life, or simply have an irresistible phonetic appeal. Like a mirror image of The Meaning of Liff that just happens to be true, The Disappearing Dictionary unearths some lovely old gems of the English language, dusts them down and makes them live again for a new generation.dabberlick [noun, Scotland]A mildly insulting way of talking about someone who is tall and skinny. 'Where's that dabberlick of a child?'fubsy [adjective, Lancashire]Plump, in a nice sort of way. squinch [noun, Devon]A narrow crack in a wall or a space between floorboards. 'I lost sixpence through a squinch in the floor'.

The Disappearing Dictionary - A Treasury of Lost English Dialect Words

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.

 David Crystal has been described (by the Times Higher Education Supplement) as a sort of 'latter day Dr Johnson', a populist linguist who has promoted the study of the English language in an academic and broadcasting career that has so far spanned 40 years and nearly 100 books.

 Now he has written an engaging travel book of more general appeal. Inspired by W. G. Sebald's 'The Rings of Saturn' and by Bill Bryson's books, he has combined personal reflections, historical allusions and traveller observations to create a mesmerising (and entertaining) narrative account of his encounters with the English language and its speakers throughout the world - from Bangor to Bombay and from Stratford to San Francisco.

 'By Hook or by Crook' is an attempt to capture the exploratory, seductive, teasing, tantalising nature of language study. As such, it will appeal to the ever-growing market who like to be entertained as well as instructed.

By Hook Or By Crook - A Journey in Search of English

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>

The english language: a guided tour of the language

Some people say scohn, while others say schown. He says bath, while she says bahth. You say potayto. I say potahtoAnd--wait a second, no one says potahto. No one's ever said potahto. Have they?From reconstructing Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of Received Pronunciation, actor Ben Crystal and his linguist father David travel the world in search of the stories of spoken English. Everyone has an accent, though many of us think we don't. We all have our likes and dislikes about the way other people speak, and everyone has something to say about 'correct' pronunciation. But how did all these accents come about, and why do people feel so strongly about them? Are regional accents dying out as English becomes a global language? And most importantly of all: what went wrong in Birmingham?Witty, authoritative and jam-packed full of fascinating facts, You Say Potato is a celebration of the myriad ways in which the English language is spoken - and how our accents, in so many ways, speak louder than words.

You Say Potato - A Book About Accents

As they say in zanzibar - proverbial wisdom from around the world

All languages encode aspects of culture and every culture has its own specificities to be proud of and to be transmitted. The papers in this book explore aspects of this relationship between language and culture, considering issues related to the processes of internationalization and localization of the English language. The volume is divided into two sections, complementing each other ; the first one (Localizing English) focuses on the significance of ethnic knowledge, local culture, and tradition wherever English is used. The second one (Internationalizing English) deals with the degrees and patterns of internationalization of English deriving from its contact with diverse cultures and its adaptation to different professional settings and communicative purposes.

From International to Local English – And Back Again

David Crystal, one of the world's leading commentators on language, tackles the proverbs of the world. In this anthology of global proverbs Crystal brings his customary keen eye and linguistic expertise to this wonderfully rich topic.

 Proverbs are fascinating in what they tell us about a culture's view of everyday life: whether it be the importance of animals or the significance of the weather, proverbial wisdom is a key factor in understanding different peoples and cultures. Here David Crystal, the world's leading commentator on language, takes us on a global tour of the world's proverbs. Whether you are in Andorra, China or Tierra del Fuego, there is a nugget of local wisdom to inform and entertain.

 Some proverbs to entertain:

 When two elephants struggle, it is the grass which suffers. (Zanzibar)

 One must chew according to one's teeth (Norway)

 Admiration is the daughter of ignorance (Spain)

 A blind man needs no looking glass (Scotland)

 Never bolt your door with a boiled carrot (Ireland)

 Don't call the alligator a big-mouth till you have crossed the river (Belize)

 An untouched drum does not speak. (Liberia)

 Do not try to borrow combs from shaven monks. (China)

The penguin book of facts

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