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.