Wordsmiths & Warriors by David Crystal

£12.99

Bookseller Review by Elle: 

If you are interested in Linguistics, Crystal’s books are always an enjoyable and accessible read. Travelling with David and Hilary Crystal through the history of British English is the most fun I’ve had reading a non-fiction, somewhat academic book! 

Available – Ready for despatch or collection within 5 - 7 days

ISBN: 9780198729136 Category: Tags: ,

Description

Wordsmiths and Warriors explores the heritage of English through the places in Britain that shaped it. It unites the warriors, whose invasions transformed the language, with the poets, scholars, reformers, and others who helped create its character. The book relates a real journey. David and Hilary Crystal drove thousands of miles to produce this fascinating combination of English-language history and travelogue, from locations in south-east Kent to the Scottish lowlands, and from south-west Wales to the East Anglian coast. David provides the descriptions and linguistic associations, Hilary the full-colour photographs. They include a guide for anyone wanting to follow in their footsteps but arrange the book to reflect the chronology of thelanguage. This starts with the Anglo-Saxon arrivals in Kent and in the places that show the earliest evidence of English. It ends in London with the latest apps for grammar. In between are intimate encounters with the places associated with such writers as Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth; thebiblical Wycliffe and Tyndale; the dictionary compilers Cawdrey, Johnson, and Murray; dialect writers, elocutionists, and grammarians, and a host of other personalities. Among the book’s many joys are the diverse places that allow warriors such as Byrhtnoth and King Alfred to share pages with wordsmiths like Robert Burns and Tim Bobbin, and the unexpected discoveries that enliven every stage of the authors’ epic journey.

Additional information

Weight 848 g
Dimensions 243 × 172 × 20 mm
Attribute Value 1

Paperback