Me ha tocado la tremenada The Cambridge Encyclopedia of English Language (second edition) como uno de mis regalos de Navidad. Es un libro enorme lleno de datos e informaciones. Vamos, un disfrute para cualquiera. Lo bueno es que está pensado para abrirse por cualquier página y ponerse a leer. Muchas ilustraciones también y un montón de recuadritos con curiosidades y detalles adicionales. Vamos, una delicia.
Del mismo autor quiero pillar The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, que tiene una pinta genial.
De la contraportada:
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language is one of the publishing phenomena of recent times. Rarely has a book so packed with accurate and well researched factual information been so widely read and popularly acclaimed. It has played a key role in the spread of general interest in language matters, generating further publications and broadcasting events for an avid audience. Its First Edition appeared in hardback in 1995 and a revised paperback in 1997. There have been numerous subsequent updated reprintings; but this Second Edition now presents an overhaul of the subject for a new generation of language-lovers and of teachers, students and professional English-users concerned with their own linguistic legacy.
The book offers a unique experience of the English language, exploring its past, present and future. David Crystal systematically explains the history, structure, variety adn range of uses of English worldwide, employing a rich apparatus of text, pictures, tables, maps and graphics.
The length of the book has increased by 16 pages and there are 44 new illustrations, extensive new material on world English and Internet English, and a complete updating of statistics, further reading suggestions and other references.
[Estoy escuchando: «Opening: I Can’t Turn You Loose» de The Blues Brothers en el disco The Best of the Blues Brothers]