Linguistics Crystal

With a language disappearing every two weeks and neologisms springing up almost daily, an understanding of the origins and currency of language has never seemed more relevant. In this charming volume, a narrative history written explicitly for a young audience, expert linguist David Crystal proves why the story of language deserves retelling. From the first words of an infant to the peculiar modern dialect of text messaging, A Little Book of Language ranges widely, revealing language's myriad intricacies and quirks.

Linguistics falls in the gap between arts and science, on the edges of which the most fascinating discoveries and the most important problems are found. Rather than following the conventional organization of many contemporary introductions to the subject, the author of this stimulating guide begins his discussion with the oldest, "arts" end of the subject and moves chronologically through to the newest research - the "science" aspects.

Banter, chit-chat, gossip, natter, tete-a-tete: these are just a few of the terms for the varied ways in which we interact with one another through conversation. David Crystal explores the factors that motivate so many different kinds of talk and reveals the rules we use unconsciously, even in the most routine exchanges of everyday conversation.

In the distant future, Earth is at war with the planet Mars. Three saboteurs from Earth cause a major Martian city to disappear. They board the last spaceship bound for the planet Earth, and set up a conversation with a stranger…

In "Crystal Crypt", taken from the 1954 Planet Stories, the war between Mars and Terra is about to erupt and Earth has only merchants and salesmen to fight; can they carry out their mission? Will Earth be defeated, or can these non-military people scrape together a defense in time? As usual, Philip Dick gives us a rousing, highly entertaining, and exciting story with a great ending.