Book Recommendation - How Language Works

How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die … by David Crystal

If you asked me to name my favourite linguists, David Crystal would definitely be near the top of the list. So, naturally, I was over the moon when someone gave me a copy of one of his books for Christmas a few years ago.

Crystal is one of the foremost experts on English-language linguistics, and has published both academic works and books for the general public. The book I received is one of the latter, titled How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die.

Throughout the book, Crystal guides the reader through the basic tenets of language study, touching on everything from how we produce sounds to how languages evolve. In addition to the “usual” topics found in language books, I was also thrilled that Crystal included a chapter on sign languages! I’ve found that sign languages are often left out of language books in favour of spoken languages, so it was refreshing to see Crystal remedy this.

Crystal rounds out the book with a section on looking after languages, a fitting ending given the state of language decline and death today. He also includes a short list of books for further reading on the topic, again covering a good breadth of areas within the field.

Although students of languages and linguistics will likely be familiar with the majority of themes covered in the book, it still serves as a valuable refresher for those already immersed in language study, and as a solid introductory guide for newcomers to the subject.