Words on Words: Quotations About Language and Languages.

CRYSTAL, David and CRYSTAL, Hilary.

ISBN 10: 0226122018 / ISBN 13: 9780226122014

Published by University of Chicago Press,, Chicago:, 2000

About this Item

First printing. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

Seller Inventory # 92438

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Words on Words: Quotations About Language and Languages.
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press,, Chicago:
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226122018
• ISBN 13: 9780226122014
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • General Nonfiction IV

About this title

Synopsis

From Homer ("winged words") to Robert Burns ("Beware a tongue that's smoothly hung") to Rudyard Kipling ("Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind"), writers from all over the world have put pen to paper on the inexhaustible topic of language. Yet surprisingly, their writings on the subject have never been gathered in a single volume. In Words on Words, David and Hilary Crystal have collected nearly 5,000 quotations about language and all its intriguing aspects: speaking, reading, writing, translation, verbosity, usage, slang, and more. As the stock-in-trade of so many professions—orators, media personalities, writers, and countless others—language's appeal as a subject is extraordinarily relevant and wide-ranging.

The quotations are grouped thematically under 65 different headings, from "The Nature of Language" through the "Language of Politics" to "Quoting and Misquoting." This arrangement enables the reader to explore a topic through a variety of lenses, ancient and modern, domestic and foreign, scientific and casual, ironic and playful. Three thorough indexes—to authors, sources, and key words—provide different entry points into the collection. A valuable resource for professional writers and scholars, Words on Words is for anyone who loves language and all things linguistic.

About the Author

David Crystal writes and lectures on language and linguistics. His recent books include The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language and The Penguin Dictionary of Language. He is honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor, and a past president of the Society of Indexers.

Hilary Crystal practiced for several years as a speech therapist and has worked editorially on various projects, including The Cambridge Encyclopedia.