David Crystal

The Story of English in 100 Words. David Crystal (2012)

Fun popular linguistics tour of the history of the English language from early Angles/Saxons/Jutes/Picts to modern innovations, told by examining the etymology and context of 100 individual words - from 'loaf' to 'twittersphere' - showcasing the amazing adaptability of the language. English hasn...

Spell It Out: The Curious, Enthralling and Extraordinary Story of English Spelling (2013)

This isn't so much an overview of orthography as it is a overview of English history as it relates to spelling. I guess I was looking more for the "how" than the "why" behind why English spelling is so unpredictable. Crystal would say that it's not so unpredictable once one understands the origi...

Language Revolution (2004)