The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language

David Crystal is one of the world's foremost authorities on language, having published extensively over the past fifty years on his research work in English language studies. He has authored the hugely successful The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (Cambridge, 3rd Edition, 2010) English as a Global Language (2nd edition, 2003) and Language and the Internet (Cambridge, 2nd edition, 2006) among countless other books. An internationally renowned writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster, he received an OBE in 1995 for his services to the study and teaching of the English language. He is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor and was made a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2000. David Crystal is the director of the Ucheldre Centre, Wales, a multi-purpose arts and exhibition centre.

'David Crystal's Encyclopedia of the English Language is a wonderfully thorough and engaging treatment of what can be a very dry subject. It's graphically exciting and dependably authoritative throughout the vast range of linguistic subject areas.' Franklin Hedberg, Lawrenceville School

• 1. Modelling English; Part I. The History of English: 2. The origins of English; 3. Old English; 4. Middle English; 5. Early modern English; 6. Modern English; 7. World English; Part II. English Vocabulary: 8. The nature of the lexicon; 9. The sources of the lexicon; 10. Etymology; 11. The structure of the lexicon; 12. Lexical dimensions; Part III. English Grammar: 13. Grammatical mythology; 14. The structure of words; 15. Word classes; 16. The structure of sentences; Part IV. Spoken and Written English: 17. The sound system; 18. The writing system. Part V. Using English: 19. Varieties of discourse; 20. Regional variation; 21. Social variation; 22. Personal variation; 23. Electronic variation; Part VI. Learning About English: 24. Learning English as a mother tongue; 25. New ways of studying English.