Of all the mediums that influence language, I think film is the one that has the most effect. Not so much from… — David Crystal Cinema Copy Share Image
One of the places the full stop is really being revised in a really fundamental way is on the Internet. You look… — David Crystal Communication Copy Share Image
Bilingualism lets you have your cake and eat it. The new language opens the doors to the best jobs in society; the… — David Crystal Best Copy Share Image
I don't have any particular desire to see words making a comeback. They are of their era, after all, and that is… — David Crystal Comeback Copy Share Image
How do you spell the name of the Irish prime minister? It sounds like 'teeshuck', but we spell it 'taoiseach.' We respect… — David Crystal Irish Copy Share Image
There's an old little jingle: 'The chief use of slang is to show that you're one of the gang.' What that means… — David Crystal Gang Copy Share Image
You don't usually get a compound word where the first part is a slang thing and the second part is a rather… — David Crystal Language Copy Share Image
The main effect of the Internet on language has been to increase the expressive richness of language, providing the language with a… — David Crystal Increase Copy Share Image
The ethos of 50 years ago was that there was one kind of English that was right and everything else was wrong;… — David Crystal Ethos Copy Share Image
There is no such thing as an ugly accent, like there's no such thing as an ugly flower. — David Crystal Accent Copy Share Image
Spellings are made by people. Dictionaries - eventually - reflect popular choices. — David Crystal Choices Copy Share Image
One notable feature is that English doesn't have much of a system for expressing relative social status. — David Crystal Expressing Copy Share Image
As I get older and I get a few more years experience I become more like Dad, you know, King Lear. — David Crystal Dad Copy Share Image
A feature of English that makes it different compared with all other languages is its global spread. — David Crystal Different Copy Share Image
“There is little scientific data on the point, but evidently people do speak to themselves.” — David Crystal Science Copy Share Image
Vocabulary is a matter of word-building as well as word-using. — David Crystal Building Copy Share Image
English does have a larger vocabulary than other languages because of its history as the primary language of science and its global… — David Crystal History Copy Share Image
“The story of the English writing system is so intriguing, and the histories behind individual words so fascinating, that anyone who dares… — David Crystal Adventure Copy Share Image
You can say now, 'I dissed him' - to diss, I dissed him - or, 'Stop dissing her'. And that's the interesting… — David Crystal Become Copy Share Image
“The chief characteristic of English grammar is the way words are arranged within sentences, and the technical term for this process is… — David Crystal English grammar Copy Share Image
What turns teenagers on more than the Internet these days? If you can get a language out there, the youngsters are much… — David Crystal Cool Copy Share Image
The story of English spelling is the story of thousands of people - some well-known, most totally unknown - who left a… — David Crystal Fingerprints Copy Share Image
Spellings are made by people. Dictionaries eventually reflect popular choices. And the Internet is allowing more people to influence spelling than ever… — David Crystal Choices Copy Share Image
'Spell it Out' rose to be number 4 on the best-selling Amazon chart - ahead of 'Fifty Shades of Grey!' Who ever… — David Crystal Ahead Copy Share Image
“Here is a rewriting of the British national anthem, by 'Camille, Australia'. It is, she explains, chiefly for the benefit of Microsoft… — David Crystal Anthem Copy Share Image
Several of us linguists at that time would record our own kids, just to get some data. There was some literature on… — David Crystal Blow Copy Share Image
Word books traditionally focus on unusual and quirky items. They tend to ignore the words that provide the skeleton of the language,… — David Crystal Book Copy Share Image
In Cardiff, I've heard a number of accent mixes that weren't previously heard before such as Cardiff-Arabic and Cardiff-Hindi. This pattern is… — David Crystal Identity Copy Share Image
I believe that any form of writing exercise is good for you. I also believe that any form of tuition which helps… — David Crystal Appreciated Copy Share Image
“In Old English, thou ( thee, thine , etc.) was singular and you was plural. But during the thirteenth century, you started… — David Crystal Old english Copy Share Image
It doesn't take a language long to disappear once the spirit to continue with it leaves its community. In fact, the speed… — David Crystal Community Copy Share Image
One of the lesser-known ways of making new words is to form a blend - and a blend is when you run… — David Crystal Blend Copy Share Image
When we look at the specific effect of the Internet on language, languages asking the question, 'Has English become a different language… — David Crystal Answer Copy Share Image
Grammar is what gives sense to language … sentences make words yield up their meaning. Sentences actively create sense in language. And… — David Crystal Giving Copy Share Image
Over the last 50 years or so, we have seen an increasing cultural diversification across the country. Accents are a reflection of… — David Crystal Accent Copy Share Image
English has been this vacuum cleaner of a language, because of its history meeting up with the Romans and then the Danes,… — David Crystal Backgrounds Copy Share Image
“Joke exchanges are carried on in deadly earnest, like a verbal duel-mouth-to-mouth combat. Bang, bang: you’re (linguistically) dead.” — David Crystal Humor Copy Share Image
Research shows that those kids who text frequently are more likely to be the most literate and the best spellers, because you… — David Crystal Kids Copy Share Image
It's very difficult to find even one or two criteria that you will find in every Internet situation, and the reason is… — David Crystal Find Copy Share Image
