In this unique and entertaining collection of articles, a noted scholar and compiler of key works of reference reflects on the nature of language, the art of lexicography, and the breathtaking developments in communication, the media, and information technology in the late twentieth century.

Living Words ranges over three main subjects: language at large, and in particular English, the most widely used language in the history of the world; the art and study of dictionaries and reference science, embracing all past, present, and potential reference materials from the Oxford English Dictionary to the Yellow Pages; and the processes through which communication, information, and knowledge have evolved -- from cave art to the personal computer.

Hundreds of millions of people use English every day everywhere in the world, but may or may not succeed in understanding each other. Despite the success of its standard form (or forms) in many countries, the complex called 'English' is immensely diverse - probably more diverse than any single language has ever been - and is likely to become even more so in the next century. This book is a compelling and broad-ranging invitation to consider the variety, the options and the implications of this vast system. The English Languages looks at the 'pluralism' of English, the 'Englishes', that have arisen in the last twenty years or so, and addresses the question of whether or not English can be considered a family of languages in its own right, like the Romance languages.

Hundreds of millions of people use English every day everywhere in the world, but may or may not succeed in understanding each other. Despite the success of its standard form (or forms) in many countries, the complex called "English" is immensely diverse--probably more diverse than any single language has ever been--and is likely to become even more so in the next century. This book is a compelling and broad-ranging invitation to consider the variety, the options and the implications of this vast system. The English Languages looks at the "pluralism" of English, the "Englishes," that have arisen in the past twenty years or so, and addresses the question of whether or not English can be considered a family of languages in its own right, like the Romance languages.

Worlds of Reference is a history of dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference materials, but it is also far more than that, because it is concerned with the growth of civilisation, education and culture - and particularly how the human race learned to store information beyond the brain. It looks at how our species moved from being able to communicate only orally and to store information only in the head (rote memorisation) to the evolution of technologies for external reference: clay- and cunieform, reed-and-hieroglyph, bamboo-and-ideogram, parchment-and-alphabet, codices, books, pages, columns and so forth through the print revolution to the current electronic revolution. Along the way it looks at how this has affected languages like Latin, french, and English and people's attitudes to those languages - and to words and the listing of information about words. This intensely human subject is as compelling and important today as any account of kings, queens, wars and social upheaval.

The Oxford Companion to the English Language provides an authoritative single-volume source of information about the English language. It is intended both for reference and for browsing. The first edition of this landmark Companion, published in 1998, adopted a strong international perspective, covering topics from Cockney to Creole, Aboriginal English to Caribbean English and a historical range from Chaucer to Chomsky, Latin to the World Wide Web. It succinctly described and discussed the English language at the end of the twentieth century, including its distribution and varieties, its cultural, political, and educational impact worldwide, its nature, origins, and prospects, and its pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, word-formation, and usage. This new edition notably focuses on World Englishes, English language teaching, English as an international language, and the effect of technological advances on the English language. More than 130 new entries include African American English, British Sign Language, China English, digital literacy, multimodality, social networking, superdiversity, and text messaging, among many others. It also includes new biographical entries on key individuals who have had an impact on the English language in recent decades, including Beryl (Sue) Atkins, Adam Kilgariff, and John Sinclair. It is an invaluable reference for English Language students, and fascinating reading for any general reader with an interest in language.

In this unique and entertaining collection of articles, a noted scholar and compiler of key works of reference reflects on the nature of language, the art of lexicography and the breath-taking developments in communication, the media and information technology in the late twentieth century.
This book ranges widely over three main linked subjects: - Language at large and in particular English, the most widely used language in the history of the world
- The art and study of dictionaries and reference science, embracing all past, present and potential reference materials-from the OED to the Yellow Pages
- The processes through which communication, information and knowledge have evolved-from cave art to the personal computer.