We are living through the consequences of a linguistic revolution.
Dramatic linguistic change has left us at the beginning of a new
era in the evolution of human language, with repercussions for many
individual languages.
In this book, David Crystal, one of the world’s
authorities on language, brings together for the first time the
three major trends which he argues have fundamentally altered the
world’s linguistic ecology: first, the emergence of English
as the world’s first truly global language; second, the
crisis facing huge numbers of languages which are currently
endangered or dying; and, third, the radical effect on language of
the arrival of Internet technology.
Examining the interrelationships between these topics, Crystal
encounters a vision of a linguistic future which is radically
different from what has existed in the past, and which will make us
revise many cherished concepts relating to the way we think about
and work with languages. Everyone is affected by this linguistic
revolution.
The Language Revolution will be essential reading for
anyone interested in language and communication in the twenty-first
century.
Table of Content
Preface.
Acknowledgements.
Introduction A new linguistic world.
Chapter 1 The future of Englishes.
Chapter 2 The future of languages.
Chapter 3 The role of the Internet.
Chapter 4 After the revolution.
Chapter 5 Language themes for the twenty-first century.
Notes.
Index
About the author
David Crystal is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor.
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