Review ~ Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language

Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language

For those who are not familiar with him, David Crystal is the “David Bellamy of linguistics”, a knowledgeable, animated and bearded figure, and an outspoken commentator on contemporary language matters. The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language is an ideal vehicle for his comprehensive knowledge. It is accessible, compelling and well organised, and deals with its topics with a depth that belies its glossy exterior and format. It is packed full of fascinating facts and is quite an inspiration to read, as well as being an ideal reference or revision tool.

In terms of its presentation and approach, this book resembles Crystal’s The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language. The Houston Chronicle, referring to that earlier work, commented that ‘you can’t turn a page without learning some fascinating titbit about our common tongue.’ I would make a similar claim for The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language. It seems that anything you want to look up is there in some form or other, and there is a wealth of new information and interest, making it a perfect book for idle browsing as well as serious study and reference.

This 513-page encyclopaedia is divided into eleven parts, starting with ‘Popular Ideas About Language’. This kicks off with a history of grammatical prescriptivism (with an extended quote from George Orwell). We also read about language and its role in magic and the ‘control of reality’, and how this may relate to modern notions about the relationship between words and thoughts. As testimony to the diversity of coverage, there are sections on ‘speaking in tongues’ and children’s skipping songs, as well as a list of names of Icelandic dwarfs. In addition to broadly covering ideas and theories about what it means to use a language, this section also serves as an introduction to some of the themes that are developed later on.

The second part, ‘Language and Identity,’ concerns sociolinguistics. There are maps, tables, text boxes, diagrams and charts galore, showing such things as the origin of loan words, ‘the ageing voice’, distribution of voice types, dialect continuity and accents, and then moving on to branding, adverts, plaques, word plays, cartoons, humour and literature. While these features leap out of the text and catch your attention, they are not merely eye candy but are rather built into a cohesive and substantial coverage of given areas that repays deeper consideration and study.

Part Three, ‘The Structure of Language’, follows, and this covers phonology, grammar, lexis and discourse- in other words, an analysis of language itself, aside from its social or other functions. It summarises and explores various theories and approaches, both historically and reflecting contemporary debate. Again, one is spoilt for choice if one wants to dip in and find something of interest, but there is also plenty of depth and breadth if one wants to explore further. This section may not satisfy someone looking for a thorough study of linguistics, but it is more than enough to give one a taste for the subject and provide a base for revision or further research. It is also likely that, even if one has studied these things academically, one will find at least a few new angles here and find it an excellent aid for revision, partly due to the ease of navigation, the clarity of the prose and the curious ability of the author to draw one in and ignite interest, regardless of how dry a topic might otherwise seem.

The following three sections come under the general heading ‘the medium of language’. The first is on speaking and listening, and begins with the physiology of speech. This features some very interesting photographs and pictures, including vocal folds ‘in action’, spectrogram results, and a general mixture of anatomy and technology. Highlights for me were a chapter on the acoustics of speech, a feature on ‘click sounds’ (found in several African languages and also the English ‘tut tut’), and the many charts and graphs showing comparisons of the world’s different languages and how we all make our linguistically-loaded noises. As well as phonetics, this also covers hearing and the important role it plays in language use, perhaps something that normally receives less attention than it deserves.

Next is a section on reading and writing and once more we have a weird and wonderful array of topics and discussions, including an extended feature on alphabets, character sets, runes, tokens and other writing systems, from ancient to modern. It is truly fascinating stuff and, while it is possible to find similar information elsewhere, it is rare to find such material and images all in one volume, which also inspires one to makes one’s own connections and explore further. Something else that one might not so often come across is a study on ‘the process of reading and writing’, i.e. what actually happens physiologically when we perform these everyday tasks.

Part Six is devoted to sign language, the shortest of all the sections. It is unlikely that anyone would learn sign language from this brief survey, but the basics are given and there is enough coverage to provide the layman with a fair bit of insight into it, plus a few basic signs to practice in the mirror.

Another shortish section follows on childhood language acquisition, an area of current interest in linguistics (unless I am behind the times). It covers various theories of how speech develops from babyhood through childhood and is a compelling read. Many approaches, ideas and arguments are presented and charts abound showing, for instance, phonological development in infants and cross-language comparisons of acquisition patterns. This is a big subject and is probably the part of the book that I would have most liked to have seen expanded. Nonetheless, one wanting a detailed and broad introduction will find plenty of interest.

We then come to an area of the encyclopaedia dealing with language from the neurologist’s point of view, and this is replete with pictures and diagrams showing brains and their functions. It also concerns disabilities and disorders such aphasia, dyslexia and stuttering, and focuses on some contemporary ways of dealing with these problems. Again, there is plenty to engage the reader.

Part Nine is called ‘The Languages of the World’ and deals with such topics as the history and classification of languages, language change, and the formations of pidgins and creoles. There is much to learn here and the topics are dealt with pretty thoroughly, with some impassioned debate. As usual, there is a good deal of illustration (especially maps), a highlight being a colour newspaper front page in the ‘Tok Pisin’ pidgin-language of Papua New Guinea. A fascinating read if you take an interest in such things- and even if you don’t.

Confusingly, Part Ten is called ‘Language in the World’, but, while the previous ‘world’ section was mainly concerned with philology, this one concerns contemporary issues such as: the effect of language barriers in politics, education and business; the need for specialised skills in translating and interpreting; the functions of lingua francas; political ‘language planning’; language death; the use of special languages for science, medicine, law and religion; and foreign language teaching and testing. David Crystal is often seen as championing a libertarian view of language, in the sense of believing that it should be allowed to evolve and change naturally and should not be controlled, that there is no ‘ideal’ language and that it belongs to the people, not the ruling state. He is also clearly concerned by language death: the threat to minority tongues as the communities that speak them are increasingly absorbed into wider societies. While such matters are certainly dealt with here, it is worth pointing out that this section does not come across simply as a vehicle for the writer’s opinions. I say this because Crystal has published more polemicised works elsewhere, but this is not to be confused with them.

The final part, called ‘Language and Communication’, covers some aspects of modern and historical linguistics in the wider context of communication generally. The role of gesture and other signing is explored, and so diverse is its scope that it even includes a section on chimpanzees and bees. It finishes off with a section on corpora studies and the use of digital technology.

Overall, this encyclopaedia provides an exceptionally clear survey of a great many areas, which would be informative for those looking to find out about specific subjects and a spark to ignite interest in the more casual reader. It is certainly a ‘tonic’ if one is feeling jaded and a very serviceable reference work. I would very much recommend that schools and colleges get hold of a copy for their staff rooms, especially if they provide teacher training. For those engaged on DELTA/Trinity Dip courses, this would be an ideal revision tool; rarely is so much material brought together and in such an accessible format. It would provide an ideal accompaniment to other study materials, and would also benefit those who have completed such courses in the past. The organisation is clear and logical. It is possible to quickly identify an area of interest and clarify a point, and in doing so one more often than not discovers something new in an adjacent article. Yet I never felt this was distracting or ‘busy’; the presentation and navigation seem to reflect the way that one’s thoughts naturally move from one area of interest to another. The prose is lucid throughout, and the writer is a compelling guide through the twists and turns of the diverse areas covered, never failing to maintain the reader’s interest. One can see the twinkle in the author’s eye.

I hope I have made clear that I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in language. Perhaps it is not for everyone – but I would certainly suggest that if you are going to buy just one language-related general reference work, at least give it a glance…and see if you can resist the charms of Mr Crystal.