Words Words Words

by David Crystal

"Lexicography is not just an exercise in linguistic accounting," writes preeminent English language scholar David Crystal in this exceptionally lively and erudite little book. "It is a voyage of lexical exploration and discovery."
In Words, Words, Words , Crystal takes readers on a fascinating linguistic adventure, exploring the English language in all its oddity, complexity, and ever-changing beauty. Traveling from word origins and word evolution to wordgangs, wordrisks, wordplay, wordgames and beyond, Crystal shares his immense knowledge of, and equally immense delight in, language. He celebrates new words, old words, words that "snarl" and words that "purr," elegant words and taboo words, plain English words and convoluted gobbledegook, eponyms and antonyms, spoonerisms and malapropisms, and a host of other written and spoken forms and variations.
Words, Words, Words offers invaluable insight on such subjects as

·how to estimate the size of your vocabulary

·the functions of jargon

·when clichés are necessary

·the value of slang words ("the chief use of slang/is to show you're one of the gang")

·how to create your own "semantic field"

·dialect humor

·how to become a word detective

·how to keep a record of your child's words

·and much more!
With illuminating sidebars featuring everything from common word origins and sample definitions from the dictionaries of Samuel Johnson and Ambrose Bierce to a passage from Finnegan's Wake and the winning entries of The Guardian Text Message Poetry Competition, Words, Words, Words will both satisfy and spark the curiosity of anyone who has ever been intrigued, befuddled, or awed by words and myriad ways we use them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Linguistics, Language, Reference, Words, Education, Writing

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

David 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/

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Words Words Words" was one of the most enjoyable nonfiction books that I've read this year. It's hard to categorize the book, though. In my library, I have a number of books on English grammar, word usage, and writing style. Words³ doesn't fit neatly into any of those categories, and yet, I think it would likely improve anyone's writing by giving them a better understanding of lexicology (the meaning of words) and etymology (the origin of words). But I think non-writers would appreciate the book equally as much. It's a treasure trove of fascinating information about the English language and how it evolved. The writing style is lively enough that the book zips right along from one section to another. Some of the most interesting tidbits in the small volume included why many US and UK English words have different spellings, and a discussion of how political correctness has affected the language.

Kudos to the author, David Crystal, for doing some first rate research and presenting it in a thoroughly enjoyable book.

[sirha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the few nonfiction books that were wholly interesting and entertaining for me to read.
David Crystal's easy to read writing style and simplification of technical terms, as well as witty sense of humor elevated my experience of this book. I especially enjoyed the side panel, which was interactive and very funny at times. Since this book is relatively old, being published around 2005, I most enjoyed reading about slang in the early 21st century, and how it contrasted with the language young adults use almost 2 decades later. I have nothing negative to say about this book. A great read, but not groundbreaking, so a solid 4 stars!

[superawesomekt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is an odd little book. I wonder if it was published as a textbook for one of Crystal's classes. It is very dense and flits from topic to topic; I found myself falling asleep often when I would pick it up, but I still found it interesting enough to finish.

Please note that all words are fair game in this book: there is some discussion of some of the most offensive profanity I know.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a few of David Crystal's other books and really enjoyed them. I love looking at English Language, both for fun and as something I've studied in the past. This book being all about words definitely intrigued me (being someone who owns a word of the day calendar!).

This was a really light-hearted yet educational look at words, where they come from and variations in language. It charted the changes in language and how words come in and out of fashion as well as their change in meaning over time. I particuarly liked the the looks at slang and dialect and how technology has brought a whole new range of words to our vocabulary.

I think this book would have a pretty wide appeal for anyone interested in language as it's not too wordy or offputting. I find David Crystal's writing to be very entertaining. I liked how the book was broken up with boxes every couple of pages focusing on a short experiment or featuring a particular example of something explained in that chapter. It made it nice to read as opposed to being long chunks of text. There were some nice pictures too which always helps! And at 200 pages it's a good way to spend an afternoon. There are also some great tips and exercises at the back of the book including how to test your vocabuary and how to chart the way children pick up language.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it.

[Cat. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for 'wordy' people! Short, concise, and fun without being patronizing or (too) prescriptive.

One of my favorite sidelights is a list of 10 proverbs for and against words: "Words have no boundaries." (Bulgarian) "A word spoken at the right moment is like a golden apple on a silver dish." (Silesian) "Words are good, but hens lay eggs." (German) It's kind of weird to agree with each of them, but I sort of do.

There is a good Anglo-Saxon word that has fallen into disuse: "wordhoard." Crystal defines this as "the collection of words [individuals] hold in their heads, which they could draw upon." The joy of this is that we are continually adding to it as we have more experiences; there is infinite space in our heads for all our words. That's amazing. Of course, we don't use ALL our words every day (or week); most of them are 'in storage' and pulled out only in special circumstances.

The last few chapters explain how to "become a word detective" and help out the linguists and lexicologists in building the wordhoard of the language as a whole. Included are loads of websites and societies to check out from regular dictionaries to place-name organizations.

This is NOT a grammar book, it's just a quick history of the English language and the study of it.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, you like words? How much? This book is all about words. It's small, and the chapters are small, so it's more readable than you would think. But the author, David Crystal, is a top-flight linguist--and a Brit, hence the OBE and the UK-slant that creeps in--and he knows how to use words to discuss words.

Here you will find information on practically every word-related topic: origins, diversity, evolution, and enjoyment. The last section, Becoming a Word Detective, shows you how to find out the history of a word and the meaning of names, how to get involved with dictionaries and dialects, how to estimate the size of your vocabulary and keep a record of your child's words, and how to find out more about words, in case this wasn't enough.

Perhaps it is. It's pretty comprehensive, although short. And I like short.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Anything by David Crystal is bound to be interesting, and Words Words Words is a great introduction to the world of linguistics--with a definite tilt towards the lover of English.
This book is well-organized to allow for selective reading on topics of interest, but is concise enough to be a quick and easy read all the way through. The language is accessible enough that even older children and teenagers could enjoy it, but the subject matter is an intriguing topic for any age.
I also appreciated the section on Becoming a Word Detective, for those who would like to pursue the exploration of language further.
Highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in linguistics.

[Prachiti Talathi Gandhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely enjoyable book. David Crystal is a passionate champion of the English language. He introduces reader with the Wordworld. He helps readers to understand how words evolve? Where do the words come from?
While reading I was astound with the number of words we know and actually how many of them we use.
The final section gives practical advice on how we can explore this world more fully ourselves and learn the skills.
Highly recommended to all the language enthusiast.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun exploration of both the familiar words we use daily and those we make up for special needs, this is an engaging introduction for new word-lovers and helpful review for us seasoned wordsmiths. I recommend reading it along with his _Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language_ or _Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language_. Both of these receive a full 5 stars from me. They address the cultural, historic, and scientific aspects of language, and they are comprehensive while _Words, Words, Words_ touches on a few issues at a lighter level. Wherever you choose to begin, start reading in order to better appreciate this amazing language that underlies your thoughts, new reading materials, and written communication.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this in my favourite second-hand bookshop this summer and it’s immediately become one of my favourite David Crystal books. It’s not just entertaining and interesting, it’s so accessible I found myself mentally creating lessons out of several short chapters! One of the reasons I became a teacher was my fascination with language; with this book I can see several new ways to share my enthusiasm with my pupils :)

In fact, I’ve already made a start and used the word ‘wordhoard’ in a lesson plan 🙂

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it difficult to imagine the intended audience for this book. In many ways it felt cursory and elementary, skipping from topic to topic without much depth, reminiscent of books written for children. (Do you want to become a word detective? Come, follow me.) At the same time, many of the words highlighted were either too complex or too taboo for it to have actually been written as a children's primer. In any case, I was not this book's intended audience.

In general, I love David Crystal's works, this one just fell short of the mark.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

understanding the origin of our language makes everything more interesting

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, light book that has some interesting thoughts.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's alright but not terrific

[Meredith Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic resource for English language teachers

[Jo Bennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a primer and brief introduction to the sublime world of words, of lexicographers and word hounds, this is a nice little book that sits well in the hand. Crystal distils his encyclopaedic knowledge of epistemology into 6 fascinating sections

1. the universe of words, their number and how we learn them
2. the origin of words, their beginnings and construction
3. the diversity of words, worldwide diversity, specialist language, group speak
4. the evolution of words, births, deaths, changes and futures
5. the enjoyment of words, wordplay, word sound and games
6. becoming a word detective, how to take your interest further, further reading and how to estimate your personal wordhoard (vocabulary), both what you use everyday and what you understand but don's use regularly.

A good starting point which left me wanting more.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Crystal has become my latest verbivore guru. After exhausting both Bryson & Lederer's musings on the English Language in countless books, I've recently discovered this charming and prolific Brit who appears to be publishing a book a year. (Lucky me!) In this concise and descriptivist jaunt through the Mother Tongue in recent times, Crystal also provides a way for readers to conduct their own informal statistical analysis of their approximate wordhoard by grabbing the nearest 1500+ page English dictionary. (Unfortunately, I either scored myself incorrectly, or I'm coming up a slightly uneducated moron. What gives?)

[Mala Ashok · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Crystal is a master wordsmith indeed. The topic of the book "Words, Words, Words," is linguistics and the English Language. If this tells you that the book will be very boring you're wrong. Crystal's sense of humor makes the book almost a page-turner. I say "Almost" becuase, much as I would have liked to race through the book I stopped every so often to make notes.

The book has encouraged me to make a list of more books on linguistics that I would like to read -- David Crystal's "How Language Works," leads this list.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

An assessable overview of many aspects of a vital part of our language - words. Crystal covers word origins, evolution, diversity, etc. as well as enjoyment. The last section recommends ways to become a "word detective" (though some of the websites he recommends have not been updated for years).

There was something of interest in each chapter but I found the section on univocalics especially intriguing. I thought about trying to do the review that way but I think that's a challenge for another day.

[joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd heard this fellow was one of the main scholars writing about the English language for the popular press, so I thought I'd check this out. It was a nice little jaunt through English via its words, and the author had a few good recommendations for those with a casual interest in learning more on their own. I'd probably read more by him but I'm also interested in other languages, so his English focus might get boring. Anyway, this is a fun read for the casual etymologist.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author does present some interesting ideas, but many aren't particularly original. Although some of the examples he uses to back up his assertions seem well thought-out, others are so bizarre that they undermine the credibility of the book overall. Perhaps a good introduction to the hobby of casually studying linguistics but no revelations for anyone who's read even a book or two on the topic already.

[Kerry-Anne Gilowey · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you find language fascinating, or if you work in a field where words and their meanings are of paramount importance (I'm looking at you, fellow content strategists), you'll enjoy this book. I can see that I'm going to end up using it as a reference book quite often, particularly when putting together voice and style guidelines.

[Sudakshina Bhattacharjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful little book all about Words! David Crystal is one of the greatest linguists in the world, yet his humour, his humility and his empathy come across so clearly through his writing, it leaves me in nothing but pure admiration for a man so educated and distinguished. If you're fanatic about words, like me, read this! :)

[Klay Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great primer into the world of lexicography and philology. David Crystal writes in a fun and approachable manner that most people will enjoy. “Words Words Words” is not a textbook but more of an introduction to pique one's interest in lexicology, linguistics, philology, and semantics. I highly recommend this book.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, although I had expected to enjoy it more. I didn't feel Crystal had anything new to say in the book - I felt he had just reorganised ideas from his other books. Some interesting examples, however.

[Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

- renowned English Professor and noted Linguist celebrates words (form, meaning, and evolution), how we learn new words, the creation of dictionaries, word origins, slang, word games, etc
- very interesting, straight-forward explanations
- often very funny
- I loved it!

[Justine Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book that isn't patronizing. I took it out of the library in an attempt to understand the human language more and I was very impressed on how simple, funny and captivating Crystal makes English. A great book to begin with.

[Brackman1066 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crystal is a fabulously approachable expert. I'm toying with assigning more of his works in my History of the English Language class.

[Smiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable, funny, authoritative book on English words.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and casual, general-public sort of writing style but backed by Crystal's extensive knowledge of language.