Review: Just A Phrase I’m Going Through (My LIfe In Language) by David Crystal (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Review: Just A Phrase I’m Going Through (My LIfe In Language) by David Crystal

4:50pm Wednesday 1st July 2009

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Just A Phrase I’m Going Through (My LIfe In Language) by David Crystal (Routledge, £14.99).

Anyone who was ever studied language has heard of David Crystal.

I first came across him in around 1979 at university during my English degree, when the set text for my linguistics course was Investigating English Style, one of whose authors was Crystal.

I recall that it included chapters on topics such as the language of advertising, the language of religion and, perhaps aptly for me, the language of journalism.

Thirty years later David Crystal is still at the forefront of linguistic study, a master of analysing language and developing linguistic profiling techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

This book is part autobiography and part introductiton to the fascinating and ever-evolving subject of linguistics.

The autobiography part is fairly straightforward - a description of Crystal’s early years, school life, university and how he became a professor of linguistics. It’s interesting but, unless you are alreadyd a fan, not strikingly so.

What really enlivens this book is when the author starts to talk about his specialist topic - then his obvious zest and enthusiasm shine through and I remember why I probably enjoyed the linguistics section of my degree more than any other.

This zeal for language is illustrated in the first chapter, when Crystal reveals how he spent almost two days (this was before the internet) researching what the ‘S’ in US president Harry S.

Truman’s name stands for. I won’t spoil it by giving away the answer - you’ll have to buy the book to find out.

Further intriguing facts and insights are given in break-out boxes, where the author is inspired by episodes in his life to explore various liguistic topics.

All in all, this is an enjoyable book which is likley to make you want to seek out some of Crystal’s extremely readable and engaging books about language.

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