Author: David Crystal

The vocabulary of past times, no longer used in English, is always fascinating, especially when we see how it was pilloried by the satirists of the...

Pronunciation governs our regional and social identity more powerfully than any other aspect of spoken language. No wonder, then, that it has attra...

Did you know that the English language has over 150 words for the adjective 'drunk' developed over 1,000 years? Be prepared to learn words you have...

Some people say scohn, while others say schown.He says bath, while she says bahth.You say potayto. I say potahtoAnd--wait a second, no one says pot...

Wordsmiths and Warriors explores the heritage of English through the places in Britain that shaped it. It unites the warriors, whose invasions tran...

A many-faceted exploration of spoken eloquence: how it works, how it has evolved, and how to tap its remarkable power We all know eloquence when we...

It's the most simple, unassuming, innocent-looking verb: 'to be'. Yet it is jam-packed with more different meanings, forms, and uses than any other...

Banter, chit-chat, gossip, natter, tete-a-tete: these are just a few of the terms for the varied ways in which we interact with one another through...

Winner of Best Book, Publication, or Recording prize at the Falstaff Awards 2015 Shortlisted for the 2016 SLA Information Book Award The Oxford Il...