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Interviews | October 21, 2009

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samsavageSam Savage's first novel, Firmin, chronicled the coming-of-age misadventures of a very literate rat living in a bookstore in Boston's Scollay Square. Garnering praise from authors and... Continue »
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1 Beaverton Anthropology- Linguistics

How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die

by David Crystal

How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die Cover

ISBN13: 9781585678488
ISBN10: 1585678481
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Whether looking at the whistle languages of the Canary Islands or describing the layout of the human throat, this landmark book will enrich the lives of everyone who reads it.

Review:

"A world authority on language, Crystal (The Stories of English) offers an impeccably organized guide to language and communication that brings clarity to a scholarly subject, and is sure to become a standard reference. Written in an unadorned style, Crystal's chapters are purposeful lessons ('How we use tone of voice'; 'How children learn to mean'; 'How we choose what to say') that demonstrate his pedagogical genius for rendering complex matters simple. Crystal's tome imparts a vast amount of knowledge concerning intricate and interrelated aspects of speech, the written word, lexicography, grammar and neurological aspects of communication; it encompasses issues of identity, ethnicity and the preservation of disappearing languages, the structural organization of the world's different language families, multilingualism, and the pragmatic uses of artificial and natural languages. A feat of academic distillation, Crystal's book abounds in wisdom and dry wit." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Product Details

ISBN:
9781585678488
Subtitle:
How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die
Author:
Crystal, David
Publisher:
Overlook Press
Subject:
Linguistics
Subject:
Language and languages
Copyright:
Publication Date:
December 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
500
Dimensions:
9.04x6.38x1.39 in. 1.64 lbs.

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