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David Crystal
Author profile
born
The United Kingdom
gender
male
website
David Crystal isn't a
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A correspondent has been reading Dickens, and writes to ask why to-day, to-night, and to-morrow were used with hyphens, and when did the practice cease. The origins of the practice lie in etymology: the three words were originally (in Old and Middle English) a preposition (to) followed by a separate word (dæg, niht, morwen). As a sense of their use as single notions developed, so the two elemen...
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The Stories of English
  4.03 avg rating — 238 ratings
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published
2004
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6 editions
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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
4.39 avg rating — 164 ratings
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published
1987
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6 editions
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How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die
  3.63 avg rating — 190 ratings
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published
2005
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9 editions
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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language
4.35 avg rating — 137 ratings
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15 editions
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A Little Book of Language
3.44 avg rating — 136 ratings
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published
2010
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3 editions
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The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot, and Left
3.84 avg rating — 103 ratings
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published
2007
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2 editions
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Words Words Words
3.84 avg rating — 89 ratings
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published
2006
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3 editions
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By Hook Or By Crook: A Journey In Search Of English
3.48 avg rating — 104 ratings
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5 editions
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Txtng: The Gr8 Db8
3.37 avg rating — 92 ratings
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published
2008
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4 editions
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The Story of English in 100 Words
3.92 avg rating — 74 ratings
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expected publication
2013
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5 editions
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My rating:
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“Joke exchanges are carried on in deadly earnest, like a verbal duel-mouth-to-mouth combat. Bang, bang: you’re (linguistically) dead.”
― David Crystal, Language Play
― David Crystal, Language Play
“I believe that any form of writing exercise is good for you. I also believe that any form of tuition which helps develop your awareness of the different properties, styles, and effects of writing is good for you. It helps you become a better reader, more sensitive to nuance, and a better writer, more sensitive to audience. Texting language is no different from other innovative forms of written expression that have emerged in the past. It is a type of language whose communicative strengths and weaknesses need to be appreciated.”
― David Crystal, Txtng: The Gr8 Db8
― David Crystal, Txtng: The Gr8 Db8
“Here is a rewriting of the British national anthem, by 'Camille, Australia'. It is, she explains, chiefly for the benefit of Microsoft Word and Outlook Express users:
Gd CTRL-S r gr8sh Qun.
Long liv r nobl Qun.
Gd CTRL-S the. Qun!
ALT-S hr vktrES,
HpE & glrES,
Lng 2 rain ovR S
Gd CTRL-S th. Qun!”
― David Crystal, Txtng: The Gr8 Db8
Gd CTRL-S r gr8sh Qun.
Long liv r nobl Qun.
Gd CTRL-S the. Qun!
ALT-S hr vktrES,
HpE & glrES,
Lng 2 rain ovR S
Gd CTRL-S th. Qun!”
― David Crystal, Txtng: The Gr8 Db8
Topics Mentioning This Author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| More than Just a ...: Grammar Pet Peeves | 91 | 97 | Dec 16, 2011 07:02pm | |
| Challenge: 50 Books: Amanda's 50+ books for 2011... | 107 | 156 | Jan 01, 2012 03:58am | |
| You'll love this ...: * INTRODUCE Yourself Here | 499 | 260 | May 18, 2012 04:30am | |
| The History Book ...: THE BIBLE | 13 | 79 | May 23, 2012 08:55am |
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