2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Davad Crystal: Walking English, Jun 14 2010
By Stephen A. Stomps - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Walking English: A Journey in Search of Language (Paperback)
Very well written, informative and interesting. Although the book is very Britain-centric, not surprising since this is a trip through England and Wales, there are many examples of the roots of American and other developing International English-es.
Highly recommended and I will certainly read other books by David Crystal.
SWalking English: A Journey in Search of Language
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely for Anglophiles, Mar 11 2012
By Littlemouse - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: By Hook Or By Crook A Journey In Search Of England (Paperback)
Read it with map of Great Britain in hand. Crystal would be my perfect man if only he would shave his long beard. Love, love, love the funny linguists.
And now I know where they filmed "The Prisoner" t.v. series and I must go there.
Sadly I have finished, didn't want to say goodbye. Now plan to read all of Crystal's books.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Box of Delights, Feb 7 2011
By L. M Young - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Walking English: A Journey in Search of Language (Paperback)
For someone like me, who loves language, geography, and history and who is, if not a born one, at least a long-time Anglophile, this book is the literary equivalent of an angel presenting me with a box of dark chocolates filled with all my favorite fillings--mint, orange, coffee, caramel, and that heavenly lime from Sanborn's Candies--and telling me I can eat all I feel comfortable doing so, since they have no calories and no fat! Basically Crystal starts off in Wales and relates travels through England as well as in Poland, San Francisco, and South Africa in a narrative of place names, word origins, history, changes in word meaning, Shakespearan plays and names, natural and man-made landmarks, that Welsh town with the long name that the locals just refer to as "Llanfair,' placing people by accents, sheep with accents, and more, all in a delightful candy-box jumble. I enjoyed it all with a big grin.
A big plus: learning about the humanitarian poet John Bradburne and the book town of Hay-on-Wye. I think I'd like to spend a week in the latter, thank you. :-)
[Note: Apparently Crystal titled this book BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, and refers to it as such in the introduction. Oddly, there is nothing on the title page or colophon that reflects a title change.]