How Language Works by David Crystal
Legacy Audiobooks
This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.
Have you ever wondered about the intricate machinery behind every word you speak, read, or sign? From a baby's first babble to the complex grammar of a legal document, language is our most essential, and most misunderstood, tool.
Discover how to grasp the core insights from David Crystal's landmark book, How Language Works. This audio distills the essential lessons from the original book, cutting out the fluff and saving you hours. In this concise summary, you’ll journey through the mechanics of human communication. Explore how we physically produce speech sounds, why body language isn't a "true" language, and how sign languages possess a rich grammar all their own.
You’ll learn why children master complex linguistic rules without formal teaching, what separates a dialect from a language, and why thousands of languages are facing extinction. We’ll also analyze how new technologies like the internet are creating a third medium of communication, unlike either speech or writing.
If you’ve read the book before, it’s a great way to reinforce what matters most. For newcomers, it’s a perfect introduction to the fascinating science of linguistics. This version delivers all the practical takeaways you need to put into action right away, giving you a profound new appreciation for the words you use every day.
Duration - 1h 8m.
Author - Legacy Audiobooks.
Narrator - Digital Voice Roger E.
Published Date - Friday, 10 January 2025.
Copyright - © 2025 Pendleton Row Publishing LLC ©.
Location:
United States
Networks:
Legacy Audiobooks
Digital Voice Roger E
Pendleton Row Publishing LLC
English Audiobooks
Findaway Audiobooks
Description:
This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Have you ever wondered about the intricate machinery behind every word you speak, read, or sign? From a baby's first babble to the complex grammar of a legal document, language is our most essential, and most misunderstood, tool. Discover how to grasp the core insights from David Crystal's landmark book, How Language Works. This audio distills the essential lessons from the original book, cutting out the fluff and saving you hours. In this concise summary, you’ll journey through the mechanics of human communication. Explore how we physically produce speech sounds, why body language isn't a "true" language, and how sign languages possess a rich grammar all their own. You’ll learn why children master complex linguistic rules without formal teaching, what separates a dialect from a language, and why thousands of languages are facing extinction. We’ll also analyze how new technologies like the internet are creating a third medium of communication, unlike either speech or writing. If you’ve read the book before, it’s a great way to reinforce what matters most. For newcomers, it’s a perfect introduction to the fascinating science of linguistics. This version delivers all the practical takeaways you need to put into action right away, giving you a profound new appreciation for the words you use every day. Duration - 1h 8m. Author - Legacy Audiobooks. Narrator - Digital Voice Roger E. Published Date - Friday, 10 January 2025. Copyright - © 2025 Pendleton Row Publishing LLC ©.
Language:
English
Opening Credits
Duration:00:00:12
Chapter 1: How what works?
Duration:00:00:51
Chapter 2: How to treat body language
Duration:00:01:05
Chapter 3: How we use the ‘edges’ of language
Duration:00:01:03
Chapter 4: How we make speech sounds: phase 1
Duration:00:00:57
Chapter 5: How we make speech sounds: phase 2
Duration:00:00:57
Chapter 6: How we transmit sounds
Duration:00:01:05
Chapter 7: How we hear speech sounds
Duration:00:00:58
Chapter 8: How we perceive speech
Duration:00:01:04
Chapter 9: How we describe speech sounds
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 10: How we describe consonants and vowels
Duration:00:01:09
Chapter 11: How we organize the sounds of speech
Duration:00:00:59
Chapter 12: How we use tone of voice
Duration:00:00:52
Chapter 13: How children learn speech sounds: the first year
Duration:00:01:07
Chapter 14: How children learn speech sounds: later years
Duration:00:01:05
Chapter 15: How speech can go wrong
Duration:00:00:57
Chapter 16: How we write
Duration:00:00:56
Chapter 17: How we make writing systems: early times
Duration:00:00:56
Chapter 18: How we make writing systems: modern times
Duration:00:01:00
Chapter 19: How we read
Duration:00:00:59
Chapter 20: How we write and spell
Duration:00:01:01
Chapter 21: How we learn to read and write
Duration:00:00:55
Chapter 22: How reading and writing can go wrong
Duration:00:01:00
Chapter 23: How writing and speech differ
Duration:00:00:52
Chapter 24: How the electronic medium differs
Duration:00:00:57
Chapter 25: How sign language works
Duration:00:00:56
Chapter 26: How sign languages vary
Duration:00:00:59
Chapter 27: How the brain handles language
Duration:00:00:52
Chapter 28: How to investigate language structure
Duration:00:00:52
Chapter 29: How we mean
Duration:00:00:51
Chapter 30: How we analyse meaning
Duration:00:00:56
Chapter 31: How we learn vocabulary
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 32: How children learn to mean
Duration:00:00:56
Chapter 33: How dictionaries work
Duration:00:01:02
Chapter 34: How names work
Duration:00:00:48
Chapter 35: How vocabulary grows
Duration:00:01:00
Chapter 36: How we study grammar
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 37: How words work
Duration:00:00:58
Chapter 38: How we classify words
Duration:00:00:51
Chapter 39: How sentences work
Duration:00:00:49
Chapter 40: How we learn grammar
Duration:00:00:56
Chapter 41: How we discourse
Duration:00:00:52
Chapter 42: How conversation works
Duration:00:00:50
Chapter 43: How we choose what to say
Duration:00:00:51
Chapter 44: How we can’t choose what to say
Duration:00:00:53
Chapter 45: How we know where someone is from
Duration:00:00:49
Chapter 46: How to study dialects
Duration:00:00:55
Chapter 47: How we know what someone is: the ethnic issue
Duration:00:00:56
Chapter 48: How we know what someone is: the social issue
Duration:00:00:58
Chapter 49: How we know who someone is: the stylistic issue
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 50: How we know where someone is: the contextual issue
Duration:00:00:47
Chapter 51: How dialects differ from languages
Duration:00:00:59
Chapter 52: How languages die
Duration:00:00:53
Chapter 53: How languages are born
Duration:00:00:57
Chapter 54: How language began
Duration:00:00:58
Chapter 55: How language changes
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 56: How language families work
Duration:00:00:55
Chapter 57: How the Indo-European family is organized
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 58: How other Eurasian families are organized—part one
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 59: How other Eurasian families are organized—part two
Duration:00:00:51
Chapter 60: How the Indo-Pacific island families are organized
Duration:00:00:55
Chapter 61: How African families are organized
Duration:00:00:50
Chapter 62: How American families are organized
Duration:00:00:51
Chapter 63: How multilingualism works
Duration:00:00:50
Chapter 64: How we cope with many languages: translate them
Duration:00:00:55
Chapter 65: How we cope with many languages: supplement them
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 66: How we cope with many languages: learn them
Duration:00:00:51
Chapter 67: How we cope with many languages: teach them
Duration:00:00:57
Chapter 68: How we cope with many languages: plan them
Duration:00:00:53
Chapter 69: How not to look after languages
Duration:00:00:54
Chapter 70: How to look after languages: recognizing principles
Duration:00:00:52
Chapter 71: How to look after languages: recognizing functions
Duration:00:00:52
Chapter 72: How to look after languages: recognizing varieties
Duration:00:00:50
Chapter 73: Teaching people to look after languages
Duration:00:00:59
Ending Credits
Duration:00:00:21