Customer Reviews
good stuff - By: solar butterfly, 05 May 2010 
This is a cracking book that will last you ages.. it will take that long to read it all! good information well put together. You can see David Crystal on you tube, he speaks as well as he writes.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language - By: M. Popovic, 14 Mar 2010 
If you are studying English language, you will find this book invaluable. It has so much information, backed up by brilliant pictures & examples of language. I recently did a presenation on the History of English & used the enyclopedia for my research. The presentation was brilliant - thank you David Crystal!
A wealth of information, highly accessible - By: Little Miss Average, 18 Jan 2010 This encyclopaedia is simply brilliant for language lovers. It is clear & concise, brilliantly illustrated & laid out, & it makes the subject matter interesting. Once again David Crystal has managed to convey his love of language.
This encyclopaedia covers a wealth of information:
Part I. The History of English: The origins of English; Old English; Middle English; Early Modern English; Modern English; & World English.
Part II. English Vocabulary: The nature of the lexicon; The sources of the lexicon; Etymology; The structure of the lexicon; & Lexical dimensions.
Part III. English Grammar: Grammatical mythology; The structure of words; Word classes; & The structure of sentences.
Part IV. Spoken & Written English: The sound system; & The writing system.
Part V. Using English: Varieties of discourse; Regional variation; Social variation; Personal variation; & Electronic variation.
Part VI. Learning about English: Learning English as a mother tongue; & New ways of studying English.
As you can see, it's widein scope so each section is concise & to the point, brilliant for referencing or just dippingin & out of for something interesting.
I would definitely recommend this to English language students & anyone with an interestin the subject.
Linguistic wealth - By: Alan Lovejoy, 01 Jan 2010 I've long since lost count of the number of copies of Crystal's outstanding book that I've purchased as gifts. All my teenage grandchildren have been given copies. And now one ten-year-old has explained that she "needs her copy" for her next birthday.
I never fail to find linguistic riches whatever page I turn to.
Almost everything for Basic English language Knowledge - By: E. Milner, 08 May 2009 David Crystal is highly regardedin the English language World, & this book refelcts that. As a first year A level student studying the subject i found this book greatin detail & context. It can be used for studyin a wide range of courses & degrees. The book isnt made to be read cover to cover & has easy to find sections on many aspects of the English Language from Basic grammar to Sociolinguistics. i would highly recommend this book for all types of people studying or taking an interestin english language.
