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How language works how babies babble, words change meaning, and languages live or die

Steven Pinker meets Bill Bryson in this landmark exploration of language. In the author's own words, "How Language Works is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex-or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as David Crystal makes clear in this work of unprecedented scope, language is an extremely powerful tool that defines the human species. Crystal offers general readers a personal tour of the intricate workings of language. He moves effortlessly from big subjects like the origins of languages, how children learn to speak, and how conversation works to subtle but revealing points such as how email differs from both speech and writing in important ways, how language reveals a person's social status, and how we decide whether a word is rude or polite. Broad and deep, but with a light and witty touch, How Language Works is the ultimate layman's guide to how we communicate with one another.

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  • "Spoken language - Written language - Sign language - Language structure - Discourse - Dialects - Languages - Multilingualism - Looking after language."
  • ""What's in a name? How do sounds become speech? What makes a word rude or polite? Is it possible to speak out of tune? How do we learn to read? These and hundreds of other questions are answered in David Crystal's brilliant tour through the fascinating world of language. From eyebrow flashes to whistling languages, from baby talk to why the grocer's apostrophe isn't such a bad thing after all. How language works sheds light on the endless mysteries of the language we speak, write and read every day."--BOOK COVER."
  • "Steven Pinker meets Bill Bryson in this landmark exploration of language. In the author's own words, "How Language Works is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex-or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as David Crystal makes clear in this work of unprecedented scope, language is an extremely powerful tool that defines the human species. Crystal offers general readers a personal tour of the intricate workings of language. He moves effortlessly from big subjects like the origins of languages, how children learn to speak, and how conversation works to subtle but revealing points such as how email differs from both speech and writing in important ways, how language reveals a person's social status, and how we decide whether a word is rude or polite. Broad and deep, but with a light and witty touch, How Language Works is the ultimate layman's guide to how we communicate with one another."@en
  • "In this survey of everything from how sounds become speech to how names work, David Crystal answers every question asked about the nuts and bolts of language."@en
  • ""This book is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex--or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as linguist Crystal makes clear, language is an extremely powerful tool that defines the human species. Crystal offers general readers a personal tour of the intricate workings of language. He moves effortlessly from big subjects like the origins of languages, how children learn to speak, and how conversation works to subtle but revealing points such as how email differs from both speech and writing in important ways, how language reveals a person's social status, and how we decide whether a word is rude or polite. Broad and deep, but with a light and witty touch, this is a layman's guide to how we communicate with one another.--From publisher description."@en
  • "Ranges from how children learn to read to what makes words rude or polite, from eyebrow flashes to whistling languages. Unlocking the secrets of communication in an accessible, entertaining way, this book sheds light on the endless mysteries we speak, write and read every day."

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  • "Electronic books"@en
  • "Electronic books"
  • "Einführung"

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  • "How language works : [how babies babble, words change meaning and languages live or die ...]"
  • "How language works how babies babble, words change meaning, and languages live or die"@en
  • "How language works : [how babies babble, words change meaning, and languages live or die _]"
  • "How language works why babies babble, spelling is illogical and words change their meaning"
  • "How language works : [how babies babble, words change meaning and languages lives or die ...]"
  • "How language works : How babies babble, words change meaning, and languages live or die"
  • "How language works : [how babies babble, words change meaning anad laguages live or die]"
  • "How language works"@en
  • "How language works"
  • "How language works : how babies babble, words change meaning, and languages live or die"
  • "How language works : how babies babble, words change meaning, and languages live or die"@en
  • "How language works : [how babies babble, words change meaning and languages live or die... ]"
  • "How language works : how babies babble, words change meaning and languages live or die"
  • "How language works : how babies babble, words change meaning and languages live or die"@en
  • "How language works : [how babies babble, words change meaning, and languages live or die]"
  • "How language works : [how babies babble, words change meaning and languages live or die]"

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