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The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language | ||
Tags: Encyclopedia | Linguistics | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| zarathustra Groupie Canada Joined 5805 days ago 57 posts - 59 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: German, Russian | Message 1 of 7 19 December 2009 at 12:34am | IP Logged | ||
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http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Encyclopedia-Language-David- Crystal/dp/0521559677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261178 566&sr=8-1
I recently received this book as a Christmas gift, and I haven't been able to set it down since. It has become my Bible. The book is essentially an extensive, but accessible, reference to languages and linguistics. I plan to read the whole thing simply out of interest, but I'm sure when I major in linguistics next year it will be of great help. Has anyone else here read it? What were your thoughts? If you haven't, I would absolutely recommend it to all language lovers. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Chung Diglot Senior Member Joined 7155 days ago 4228 posts - 8259 votes 20 sounds Speaks: English*, French Studies: Polish, Slovak, Uzbek, Turkish, Korean, Finnish | Message 2 of 7 19 December 2009 at 12:48am | IP Logged | ||
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I bought it many years ago at a significant discount, and second your recommendation of it. I never read the whole book (frankly a lot of aspects of linguistics don't interest me e.g. physiology of speech), but the sections that I did read such as those on language development in children, machine translation, constructed languages, and creoles were fascinating introductions.
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| Juan M. Senior Member Colombia Joined 5898 days ago 460 posts - 597 votes | Message 3 of 7 19 December 2009 at 12:55am | IP Logged | ||
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I am presently reading this book, but quite frankly find it rather shallow and unsatisfying. There are too many trivial topics, the interesting ones are not presented in any depth, and a politically-correct preaching permeates the whole work. Still of course there remain several enjoyable entries, and I plan on finishing the book. I'd give it a 2 out of 5. Edited by Juan M. on 19 December 2009 at 3:46am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Volte Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland Joined 6438 days ago 4474 posts - 6726 votes Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 4 of 7 19 December 2009 at 1:35pm | IP Logged | ||
I largely agree, though I'd give it more than a 2. It's well-illustrated, sometimes interesting, and while it's shallow compared to more specialized works, it's fine as an encyclopedia. Encyclopedias don't go into great depth, by their very nature; it seems harsh to fault one for this. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| onesteptwostep Groupie United Kingdom Joined 5772 days ago 49 posts - 50 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, Japanese, Korean | Message 6 of 7 19 December 2009 at 3:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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I acquired a copy from my uncle earlier this year and haven't been able to put it down since. It's the most in-depth book on language I've ever read. On some topics it doesn't go as in-depth as I'd like it to, but it's a good reference and fascinating read nonetheless.
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| aliebe Diglot Pro Member United States Joined 5834 days ago 59 posts - 63 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: French, Spanish Personal Language Map | Message 7 of 7 12 January 2010 at 5:42am | IP Logged | ||
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I have really enjoyed the teaching company course on linguistics and would recommend it to anyone who likes the Cambridge language encyclopedia.
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