Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Words, Words, Words is all about the wonders of words -- what they say about who we are, where we come from, and what we do -- and how they continue to shape our lives. This book is divided into six parts, with a series of mini-chapters or themes of 2,000 words each within each part. Part 1 introduces the subject and explores our abiding fascination with words. Parts 2, 3, and 4, look in turn at all aspects of word histories, word variety, and etymology. Part 5 concentrates on the enjoyment that words provide and the final section invites readers to investigate further by becoming a word detective. Although informative and written by an expert, the text is light on linguistic jargon and is full of real-life examples of our living language -- how it was, how it is, and how it continues to evolve. Special features will be an opportunity to mine words and expressions in depth. The book will aim to encourage all of us to look at what we say, and how we say it, in a new light.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. vii)
• Part I The universe of words (p. 1)
• 1 Wordsmithery (p. 3)
• 2 Wordhoards (p. 9)
• 3 Wordgrowth (p. 18)
• 4 Wordfields (p. 25)
• 5 Wordworks (p. 33)
• Part II The origins of words (p. 41)
• 6 Wordstarts (p. 43)
• 7 Wordlore (p. 50)
• 8 Wordloans (p. 59)
• 9 Wordbuilding (p. 64)
• 10 Wordnaming (p. 72)
• Part III The diversity of words (p. 81)
• 11 Wordspells (p. 83)
• 12 Wordsounds (p. 90)
• 13 Wordendings (p. 98)
• 14 Wordregions (p. 105)
• 15 Wordgangs (p. 113)
• 16 Wordworlds (p. 119)
• 17 Wordrisks (p. 127)
• Part IV The evolution of words (p. 135)
• 18 Wordbirths (p. 137)
• 19 Worddeaths (p. 142)
• 20 Wordchanges (p. 149)
• 21 Wordfutures (p. 155)
• Part V The enjoyment of words (p. 165)
• 22 Wordmelodies (p. 167)
• 23 Wordplay (p. 172)
• 24 Wordgames (p. 177)
• 25 Wordmasters (p. 183)
• Part VI Becoming a word detective (p. 187)
• 1 How to find out the history of a word (p. 189)
• 2 How to find out about the meaning of names (p. 191)
• 3 How to get involved with dictionaries (p. 194)
• 4 How to estimate the size of your vocabulary (p. 196)
• 5 How to keep a record of your child's words (p. 198)
• 6 How to decide whether sounds have meanings (p. 201)
• 7 How to get involved with dialects (p. 203)
• 8 How to find out more about words (p. 205)
• Index of subjects (p. 208)
• Index of people (p. 212)
• Index of words (p. 215)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Renowned linguist Crystal (Univ. of Wales, Bangor; The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language) combines his expertise and infectious enthusiasm for language to create a highly readable book. Particularly suited to the amateur or novice English enthusiast, Words is divided into six parts, each of which begins with a concise content summary. Subjects include the origins of words, how words change, and how children learn language; the last two parts are devoted to encouraging a love of words and word study. Individual chapters look at general trends and patterns but also explore individual cases, geographical variances, and colloquialisms. Dense subject matter is broken up into interesting asides in text boxes, e.g., a list of proverbs about words. Crystal's love of his subject comes through in an engaging and informal yet informative writing style. For public and academic collections. [See Crystal's How Language Works, reviewed at left.-Ed.]-Rebecca Bollen Manalac, Sydney, Australia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

The latest contribution from prolific linguist Crystal (The Stories of English) offers a cornucopia of interesting takes on "the universe of words." Crystal briefly visits many aspects of language: baby names, place names, how languages change, how to estimate the size of your vocabulary and the interaction between languages. He also touches on the history of words and how language changes with interesting, straightforward explanations that belie the author?s enormous knowledge of lexicology, but represent well his intense, personal love for it: "Everyone has their own linguistic story to tell ... [this book] is part of my story, a cross-section of my lexical autobiography." Witty literary references are sprinkled throughout the book, along with some surprisingly vulgar sections; even the table of contents and the index are fascinating linguistic exercises. Conversational but easy to reference, this text will be useful to any semi-serious practitioner of the English language. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Booklist Review

In 33 chapters, prolific professor Crystal celebrates words, covering their form, meaning, and evolution. Arguing that we are all, in fact, wordsmiths, Crystal makes his point by noting that their own vocabularies are far larger than most people realize. Although most people would guess that they use from 5,000 to 20,000 words, it is unusual to find anyone with an active vocabulary of less than 35,000 words, according to Crystal. He goes on to describe how we learn new words, the creation of dictionaries, the origins of words, and the borrowings from foreign languages (more than 350) that form part of the modern English vocabulary. Other chapters cover spelling, pronunciation, dialect, slang, and word games and wordplay. A final section, Becoming a Word Detective, is a collection of online and print sources on etymology, among other topics. Crystal covers a lot of ground in short, well-paced chapters that never fail to offer something for word lovers--a 2004 survey, for example, found that mother topped the list of the most beautiful words in the English language. --Joanne Wilkinson Copyright 2006 Booklist