Words, Words, Words

Mr Crystal deals with such a wide topic with extreme simplicity and he manages to keep the reader interested all the time. Unputdownable!

David Crystal enthralls us with fascinating details about the English Language in his trademark crystal clear prose style. It is an essential introduction to the study of linguistics, highly recommended for all AS students, which entertains as it teaches.

Really interesting with exactly the right amount of detail in all the right places. Words Words Words covers a really broad selection topics within the subject of English Language. It's got loads of interesting, quirky facts and discussion points about English whilst being a good read. David Crystal's passion for the subject shines thorough but it is clearly written, for anyone who speaks English so it's not just for people with a vested interest in this topic. If you speak English, you'll find this really interesting.

To write a book about words which is a page-turner would I suppose be a difficult task. So we can forgive David Crystal the fact this is no page-turner. It is, however, an interesting read. It's a well-laid out and accessible book, and I learnt some interesting facts from it. Personally, I'd have liked more coverage of the history of individual words - though the book does have an interesting chapter on the birth and evolution of words - but this is perhaps beyond the remit of such a book. The book is most suitable for someone who is new to the subject of linguistics (as I am), and would probably be too basic for anyone with any kind of existing knowledge of the field.