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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
Now in its third edition, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language provides the most comprehensive coverage of the history, structure and worldwide use of English. Fully updated and expanded, with a fresh redesigned layout, and over sixty audio resources to bring language extracts to life, it covers all aspects of the English language including the history of English, with new pages on Shakespeare's vocabulary and pronunciation, updated statistics on global English use that now cover all countries and the future of English in a post-Brexit Europe, regional and social variations, with fresh insights into the growing cultural identities of 'new Englishes', English in everyday use with new sections on gender identities, forensic studies, and 'big data' in corpus linguistics, and digital developments, including the emergence of new online varieties in social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. Packed with brand new colour illustrations, photographs, maps, tables and graphs, this new edition is an essential tool for a new generation of twenty-first-century English language enthusiasts.
582 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2018
95 people are currently reading
1489 people want to read
About the author
David Crystal
230 books770 followersDavid Crystal works from his home in Holyhead, North Wales, as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster. Born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1941, he spent his early years in Holyhead. His family moved to Liverpool in 1951, and he received his secondary schooling at St Mary's College. He read English at University College London (1959-62), specialised in English language studies, did some research there at the Survey of English Usage under Randolph Quirk (1962-3), then joined academic life as a lecturer in linguistics, first at Bangor, then at Reading. He published the first of his 100 or so books in 1964, and became known chiefly for his research work in English language studies, in such fields as intonation and stylistics, and in the application of linguistics to religious, educational and clinical contexts, notably in the development of a range of linguistic profiling techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. He held a chair at the University of Reading for 10 years, and is now Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. These days he divides his time between work on language and work on internet applications.
source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/
source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 4, 2018
A superb reference book covering all aspects of the development of the English language, its vocabulary, usage, orthography, spelling, variants, punctuation etc.
David Crystal wears his expertise lightly, which makes the book a delight to use and very accessible, with lots of illustrations, diagrams, photos and examples. There are also appendices and lists for further reading.
In general, Crystal is a pragmatist who loves language; he is certainly not an authoritarian pedant. He accepts and explains language change, including controversies such as whether or not it's acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition (it is). He lets readers can make up their own minds, aware of the implications of whichever choice they make.
David Crystal wears his expertise lightly, which makes the book a delight to use and very accessible, with lots of illustrations, diagrams, photos and examples. There are also appendices and lists for further reading.
In general, Crystal is a pragmatist who loves language; he is certainly not an authoritarian pedant. He accepts and explains language change, including controversies such as whether or not it's acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition (it is). He lets readers can make up their own minds, aware of the implications of whichever choice they make.
October 22, 2007
Wow.
A history of English, as it is spoken, written, taught, and learned.
Many, many maps, illustrations, references, sidebars, and photographs are included in this wonderful encyclopedia. The scope and breadth of this work includes examples of English literature from Beowulf, Chaucer, Hamlet, and The Cat in the Hat. There are studies of accents and pronunciations, Scandinavian place names in the English speaking world, how English grammar evolved from that of a quasi-Saxon tongue into a blend of Norman French (we herd sheep and eat mutton, for example), why English is so hard to spell, the War of the Split Infinitive, glossolalia from speaking in tongues to the scat stylings of Baloo the Bear in Walt Disney's The Jungle Book, and so much more.
One page will keep me entertained for hours. The whole book would keep me up at night for weeks.
A history of English, as it is spoken, written, taught, and learned.
Many, many maps, illustrations, references, sidebars, and photographs are included in this wonderful encyclopedia. The scope and breadth of this work includes examples of English literature from Beowulf, Chaucer, Hamlet, and The Cat in the Hat. There are studies of accents and pronunciations, Scandinavian place names in the English speaking world, how English grammar evolved from that of a quasi-Saxon tongue into a blend of Norman French (we herd sheep and eat mutton, for example), why English is so hard to spell, the War of the Split Infinitive, glossolalia from speaking in tongues to the scat stylings of Baloo the Bear in Walt Disney's The Jungle Book, and so much more.
One page will keep me entertained for hours. The whole book would keep me up at night for weeks.
February 19, 2015
(I wrote this review at work for learners of English, so I thought I'd add it here too.)
Organized by topic and full of interesting images and diagrams, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language is exactly what your coffee table has been missing. Most topics are covered in just two pages, so they can be read in small bits. You can really open it up to any page and find something interesting. Due to its value for occasional engaging reading, I would recommend it for intermediate learners and up, but even beginners can enjoy many aspects of the book, such as the map of World Englishes.
David Crystal
With over 100 published books, linguistics professor David Crystal is probably the most prolific writer on language and, especially, the English language. He has written on the history of English, grammar, the language of texting and much more. Though many of his books are academic in nature, a lot of them are geared toward the interested layman.
Organized by topic and full of interesting images and diagrams, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language is exactly what your coffee table has been missing. Most topics are covered in just two pages, so they can be read in small bits. You can really open it up to any page and find something interesting. Due to its value for occasional engaging reading, I would recommend it for intermediate learners and up, but even beginners can enjoy many aspects of the book, such as the map of World Englishes.
David Crystal
With over 100 published books, linguistics professor David Crystal is probably the most prolific writer on language and, especially, the English language. He has written on the history of English, grammar, the language of texting and much more. Though many of his books are academic in nature, a lot of them are geared toward the interested layman.
November 22, 2014
I am dipping into the 1993 hardback edition; it is not a book to read through cover to cover. open any page and be amazed. it is an unusually well-crafted book - a treasure trove, indeed, with pieces of eight on every page. I am heading to the far east soon and will read it every night till then. not plane carry on material unfortunately. peter
September 16, 2010
One of the best books I have ever read.
October 7, 2011
This is not the type of book you have to read from cover to cover.It's one of those you just wade through in whatever direction you like as well as using it for specific references.
In other words it's a treasure chest of goodies...amusing, enlightening, absorbing and satisfying.
I recall David Crystal talking about a competition they had run for someone to create a 'new' word.
They awarded it to the entry 'BAGONIZE' which means the feeling you have at the airport when you are anxiously waiting for your luggage to appear on the baggage roundabout!!!
Spot on!!!
THis will join Shakespeares Sonnets as a permanent fixture on my "currently reading" shelf.
In other words it's a treasure chest of goodies...amusing, enlightening, absorbing and satisfying.
I recall David Crystal talking about a competition they had run for someone to create a 'new' word.
They awarded it to the entry 'BAGONIZE' which means the feeling you have at the airport when you are anxiously waiting for your luggage to appear on the baggage roundabout!!!
Spot on!!!
THis will join Shakespeares Sonnets as a permanent fixture on my "currently reading" shelf.
December 17, 2007
As linguistics books go, this is a fascinating read. Very informative, interesting and surprisingly funny. And if you ever have the chance of visiting one of Mr. Crystal's lectures, do it. I hear he regularly has the audience rolling in the aisles.
September 21, 2015
Great resource and very well-written. I could actually see myself revisiting this down the road. Crystal's book is exhaustive and engaging.
March 30, 2016
Everything you ever wanted to know about English, written in witty, accurate and clear prose by language genius David Crystal. Don't let the title put you off...it's a fascinating read!
May 27, 2013
It's by Crystal, of course it's goooood ref material.
November 28, 2025
My mother gifted me this book in 2004, on my birthday—and it has never left my desk since. Over the years, it has become less a reference text and more a familiar companion: the one you return to not out of duty but out of delight.
Crystal’s encyclopedia is the extrovert of linguistics books—the one that barges into the room wearing neon, balancing a plate of canapés, and dragging behind it a parade of languages, scripts, and strange linguistic curiosities like delighted guests.
Most linguistics books specialise, narrowing their gaze to a single argument or subfield. This one refuses boundaries. It sprawls—magnificently. It’s a fairground of phonetics, language families, sign systems, stylistics, neurobiology, alphabets, discourse structures, mediaeval scribes, endangered languages, emoji linguistics, computational grammar, and everything else that has ever dared to call itself “language”.
And yet, the chaos never overwhelms. The reason is Crystal himself. His prose sparkles. His tone carries that rare mixture of scholarly depth and sheer playfulness. He writes with the conviction that language is not merely to be studied—it is to be enjoyed.
Even the densest fact feels like a secret you can’t wait to tell someone. You don’t read this book; you wander through it, page to page, map to diagram, sidebar to pronunciation chart. The encyclopedia format becomes a kind of intellectual hyperlink system—hypertext before hypertext—inviting exploration instead of instruction.
Crystal’s genius is his relentless democratisation of linguistic diversity. Every language, from the global giants to the nearly whispered remnants of dying traditions, is treated with reverence. Every writing system feels like an act of genius. Every phoneme carries history. The effect is almost anthropological—but lighter, freer, and more joyful. It’s like reading National Geographic narrated by a linguist with a comedian’s timing and an archivist’s memory.
Two decades later, the book feels oddly prophetic. It foresaw digital language culture: emojis as paralanguage, internet grammar, hybrid identities, revived indigenous speech, global Englishes, and the fracturing of linguistic authority. Where others lament change, Crystal celebrates it as evolution. His worldview is curiosity over complaint, wonder over worry.
To read the encyclopedia cover to cover is an act of exquisite, glorious disorder—like binge-watching a hundred brilliantly different linguistic documentaries. But the disorder is fertile. It trains the mind to see language not as a fixed architecture, but as an endlessly shifting ecosystem of meaning.
If Bloomfield gives you structure, Pinker instinct, Comrie comparison, Jackendoff cognition, and Trask irreverence—Crystal gives you the cosmos.
And somewhere in that vast linguistic universe, every reader—expert or beginner—finds a place that feels like home.
A classic and hence most recommended.
Crystal’s encyclopedia is the extrovert of linguistics books—the one that barges into the room wearing neon, balancing a plate of canapés, and dragging behind it a parade of languages, scripts, and strange linguistic curiosities like delighted guests.
Most linguistics books specialise, narrowing their gaze to a single argument or subfield. This one refuses boundaries. It sprawls—magnificently. It’s a fairground of phonetics, language families, sign systems, stylistics, neurobiology, alphabets, discourse structures, mediaeval scribes, endangered languages, emoji linguistics, computational grammar, and everything else that has ever dared to call itself “language”.
And yet, the chaos never overwhelms. The reason is Crystal himself. His prose sparkles. His tone carries that rare mixture of scholarly depth and sheer playfulness. He writes with the conviction that language is not merely to be studied—it is to be enjoyed.
Even the densest fact feels like a secret you can’t wait to tell someone. You don’t read this book; you wander through it, page to page, map to diagram, sidebar to pronunciation chart. The encyclopedia format becomes a kind of intellectual hyperlink system—hypertext before hypertext—inviting exploration instead of instruction.
Crystal’s genius is his relentless democratisation of linguistic diversity. Every language, from the global giants to the nearly whispered remnants of dying traditions, is treated with reverence. Every writing system feels like an act of genius. Every phoneme carries history. The effect is almost anthropological—but lighter, freer, and more joyful. It’s like reading National Geographic narrated by a linguist with a comedian’s timing and an archivist’s memory.
Two decades later, the book feels oddly prophetic. It foresaw digital language culture: emojis as paralanguage, internet grammar, hybrid identities, revived indigenous speech, global Englishes, and the fracturing of linguistic authority. Where others lament change, Crystal celebrates it as evolution. His worldview is curiosity over complaint, wonder over worry.
To read the encyclopedia cover to cover is an act of exquisite, glorious disorder—like binge-watching a hundred brilliantly different linguistic documentaries. But the disorder is fertile. It trains the mind to see language not as a fixed architecture, but as an endlessly shifting ecosystem of meaning.
If Bloomfield gives you structure, Pinker instinct, Comrie comparison, Jackendoff cognition, and Trask irreverence—Crystal gives you the cosmos.
And somewhere in that vast linguistic universe, every reader—expert or beginner—finds a place that feels like home.
A classic and hence most recommended.
January 31, 2021
Bought as a treat and gateway to keep myself sharp on things while I can't actually physically teach English.
Doesn't necessarily have to be read cover to cover, like I did, as certain topics and points of interest lure you down rabbit holes and will take a long time to commit to memory. Crystal's way of conveying a wide range of diverse topics is interesting and light-hearted without coming off as seeming overly-familiar or underselling the immense power and importance of the language. As of 2021, the third edition is still up-to-date and relevant, with impressive coverage of the internet's impact on how we use English.
Its value has been providing me an awareness of the elements of the language I feel I don't know enough about and wish to pursue further, as well as perspectives about English that wouldn't have occurred to me.
Doesn't necessarily have to be read cover to cover, like I did, as certain topics and points of interest lure you down rabbit holes and will take a long time to commit to memory. Crystal's way of conveying a wide range of diverse topics is interesting and light-hearted without coming off as seeming overly-familiar or underselling the immense power and importance of the language. As of 2021, the third edition is still up-to-date and relevant, with impressive coverage of the internet's impact on how we use English.
Its value has been providing me an awareness of the elements of the language I feel I don't know enough about and wish to pursue further, as well as perspectives about English that wouldn't have occurred to me.
June 20, 2018
I read this book as part of a course on Sociolinguistics. Even though it is called an encyclopedia, Crystal's book reads almost like a picture-book. Crystal provides a core text, and surrounds this informative text with a ton of pictures and little snippets of text in different colours, signifying extra explanations, fun facts, etc. A great book for anyone who is interested in the history of English, the different forms of English, etc!
July 20, 2022
This is an astonishingly complete and detailed overview of linguistics. If you're interested in any aspect of the topic, its covered here. An extraordinary accomplishment.
January 25, 2023
Superb dippy book for anyone who is interested in history of English language.
June 13, 2024
Una introducción a la historia de la lingüística, con los conceptos más importantes del gran campo.
July 5, 2016
This dense behemoth has small print and not a lot of white space. It took me a year, off-and-on to get all the way through it. It was a year well-spent. This will be a book that I never get rid of.
Apart from the fact that it is packed chock-full of a massive array of interesting language tidbits, discussions, and examples, I enjoyed Crystal's voice. He was present as the author, without being overpowering. I laughed at the dry sense of humour which occasionally slipped into the otherwise factual, third-person entries. I appreciated that he didn't always pretend neutrality in various linguistic debates, and that he nevertheless presented both sides quite fairly. I was surprised that despite this being originally published in 1995, his discussions on technology were still pertinent. They sounded only a little dated, rather than hopelessly in the past with ridiculous notions of the future.
Naturally, I wasn't riveted at every point, but I mean, I was reading straight through an ENCYCLOPEDIA. I kept reading knowing it would soon change to another topic, and I wasn't disappointed. I was never reading for the sake of finishing. I read it because I liked it. Thoroughly impressed!
Apart from the fact that it is packed chock-full of a massive array of interesting language tidbits, discussions, and examples, I enjoyed Crystal's voice. He was present as the author, without being overpowering. I laughed at the dry sense of humour which occasionally slipped into the otherwise factual, third-person entries. I appreciated that he didn't always pretend neutrality in various linguistic debates, and that he nevertheless presented both sides quite fairly. I was surprised that despite this being originally published in 1995, his discussions on technology were still pertinent. They sounded only a little dated, rather than hopelessly in the past with ridiculous notions of the future.
Naturally, I wasn't riveted at every point, but I mean, I was reading straight through an ENCYCLOPEDIA. I kept reading knowing it would soon change to another topic, and I wasn't disappointed. I was never reading for the sake of finishing. I read it because I liked it. Thoroughly impressed!
March 30, 2019
.
.
Frontmatter
Preface
Frontispiece
1. Modelling English
Part I - The History of English
2. The Origins of English
3. Old English
4. Middle English
5. Early Modern English
6. Modern English
7. World English
Part II - English Vocabulary
8. The Nature of the Lexicon
9. The Sources of the Lexicon
10. Etymology
11. The Structure of the Lexicon
12. Lexical Dimensions
Part III - English Grammar
13. Grammatical Mythology
14. The Structure of Words
15. Word Classes
16. The Structure of Sentences
Part IV - Spoken and Written English
17. The Sound System
18. The Writing System
Part V - Using English
19. Varieties of Discourse
20. Regional Variation
21. Social Variation
22. Personal Variation
23. Electronic Variation
Part VI - Learning about English
24. Learning English as a Mother Tongue
25. New Ways of Studying English
Appendices
I. Glossary
II. Special Symbols and Abbreviations
III. References
IV. New Addresses
V. Further Reading
VI. Index of Linguistic Items
VII. Index of Authors and Personalities
VIII. Index of Topics
Acknowledgements
.
Frontmatter
Preface
Frontispiece
1. Modelling English
Part I - The History of English
2. The Origins of English
3. Old English
4. Middle English
5. Early Modern English
6. Modern English
7. World English
Part II - English Vocabulary
8. The Nature of the Lexicon
9. The Sources of the Lexicon
10. Etymology
11. The Structure of the Lexicon
12. Lexical Dimensions
Part III - English Grammar
13. Grammatical Mythology
14. The Structure of Words
15. Word Classes
16. The Structure of Sentences
Part IV - Spoken and Written English
17. The Sound System
18. The Writing System
Part V - Using English
19. Varieties of Discourse
20. Regional Variation
21. Social Variation
22. Personal Variation
23. Electronic Variation
Part VI - Learning about English
24. Learning English as a Mother Tongue
25. New Ways of Studying English
Appendices
I. Glossary
II. Special Symbols and Abbreviations
III. References
IV. New Addresses
V. Further Reading
VI. Index of Linguistic Items
VII. Index of Authors and Personalities
VIII. Index of Topics
Acknowledgements
August 30, 2014
Hello,
I am 17 and I'm a Spanish student who aims to study English Literature at University.
I've always asked myself things like: "What are the English accents like?; What does this English name come from?; How much did French language influenced over the English language?; Where could I find anything about the Old English literature (for instance: documents, songs, words...)? [...]"
What I didn't know was that it does exist an encyclopedia of such things!!!!
Although I'm Spanish, I think I wouldn't be wrong if I said to you that the author's handwriting is really nice; the way he expresses the concepts and ideas. I specially like the introductory part called "Preface". By reading that part, one has a previous and very illustrative idea of what one's going to find in the encyclopedia.
In a conclusion, I'd be pleased to express my gratitude for this encyclopedia to the author and all the collaborators who contributed with this project.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)
I am 17 and I'm a Spanish student who aims to study English Literature at University.
I've always asked myself things like: "What are the English accents like?; What does this English name come from?; How much did French language influenced over the English language?; Where could I find anything about the Old English literature (for instance: documents, songs, words...)? [...]"
What I didn't know was that it does exist an encyclopedia of such things!!!!
Although I'm Spanish, I think I wouldn't be wrong if I said to you that the author's handwriting is really nice; the way he expresses the concepts and ideas. I specially like the introductory part called "Preface". By reading that part, one has a previous and very illustrative idea of what one's going to find in the encyclopedia.
In a conclusion, I'd be pleased to express my gratitude for this encyclopedia to the author and all the collaborators who contributed with this project.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)
July 27, 2011
I adore this book. If you love the English language, you will love this book. I know it's a hackneyed phrase, but this really is a treasure trove. I have seen my friends' eyes light up as they leaf through it. Everything you might want to know about English, written in clear and charming language, by a true linguist. David Crystal is not just some journalist with a list of clever etymologies or a self-appointed punctuation maven. He manages to cover an enormous breadth of topics with surprising depth. Each spread has illustrations and examples. The book is designed to be perused; you can open to any page and start reading, but I read it from cover to cover. The glossary is a bit of a slog, but rewarding. Crystal's concern for clarity and detail comes through in every letter.
March 22, 2015
A great 'dippy' book; one you can happily dip into, confident of finding interesting nuggets about the English language. It includes sections on the history, vocabulary and grammar of English, as you would expect, but it also discusses the many variations of modern English used around the world and even has sections on the way children learn English from infancy. A marvellous resource to have and keep as a reference.
March 7, 2011
Purchased this book to use as a reference book for my Sociolinguistics class and kept it because it is a great book for writers as well. Sometimes if I need to jumpstart myself to write I pull this book out, flip to a random page and make myself write a poem or something about whatever is on that page. Very useful as an academic resource AND a creative resource.
Want to read
March 7, 2021I want to own this someday, and really pour through it. I only got to review small pieces of it, during a class in college.
Connected to this is The Story of English, which holds more history than mechanics.
Connected to this is The Story of English, which holds more history than mechanics.
October 29, 2018
Whenever people doubt that you can be excited to read the whole encyclopedia, give them this one. It answers all the questions you could possibly have about language, and further reading makes you discover even new ones. This made me very passionate about English and language as such and I'll do everything I can to get it on my bookshelf.
July 23, 2007
This book is great for anyone interested in the history of the English language but who doesn't want to wade through the pages of more dense and esoteric texts. This book narrows it down to the key ideas and provides the reader with loads of fun facts and lots of pictures! :)
January 5, 2008
Read (and I'm using the word "read" pretty loosely here) this for the class I'm auditing, "The English Language." I'm delighted by how engaging it is--best written reference book I've read, actually (I'm looking at you, The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics!).
July 1, 2008
Don't know much about the English language? Here's your chance to negate that problem. Here we go back in time to middled English, old English and beyond. Way back to the Jutes, Angles, Saxons . . . So get your reading fedora out.
May 14, 2010
Interesting, as textbooks go. There was a lot of information, and it made a perfect "browse" book, but overall, since I couldn't read it cover to cover I wasn't that into it. Good though for ideas for academic papers.
June 11, 2011
This is a ridiculously good book. Packed with information on the English language to the gills, and it's not the one bit dry at all. The author seamlessly weaves in contemporary trends with linguistic research. Anyone lover of English must buy this book.
July 4, 2013
Bye bye History of the English Language! Recommended for everyone who desires to learn more about the origins of their roots, and English. Great info on the Anglo-Saxons included throughout this informative study.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews