Think on my Words
Think on my Words
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USDFor decades, people have been studying Shakespeare's life and times and in recent years there has been a renewed surge of interest in aspects of his language. So how can we better understand Shakespeare? David Crystal provides a lively and original introduction to Shakespeare's language, making his plays easily accessible to modern-day audiences. Covering the five main dimensions of language structure - writing system, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and conversational style - this book demonstrates how examining these linguistic 'nuts and bolts' can help us achieve a greater appreciation of Shakespeare's linguistic creativity.
- Explains clearly the terms required to understand Shakespeare's language, assuming no prior specialist knowledge
- Includes many examples from Shakespeare's plays and poems, providing essential context for the reader
- Contains a lively and original A-Z Appendix of Shakespeare's 'false friends' - words which seem familiar to us today, but in fact have a completely different meaning
Reviews & endorsements
'Here is a linguist [David Crystal] who knows not only how words work but how they work in theatre. Anyone who cares for Shakespeare will be informed and entertained by this intriguing and wide-ranging study.' Stanley Wells
Product details
March 2012Paperback
9781107617681
266 pages
215 × 139 × 14 mm
0.4kg
4 b/w illus. 2 tables
Not yet published - available from
Table of Contents
- 1. 'You speak a language that I understand not': myths and realities
- 2. 'Now, sir, what is your text?': knowing the sources
- 3. 'In print I found it': Shakespearean graphology
- 4. 'Know my stops': Shakespearean punctuation
- 5. 'Speak the speech': Shakespearean phonology
- 6. 'Trippingly upon the tongue': Shakespearean pronunciation
- 7. 'Think on my words': Shakespearean vocabulary
- 8. 'Talk of a noun and a verb': Shakespearean grammar
- 9. 'Hear sweet discourse': Shakespearean conversation
- Epilogue: 'your daring tongue': Shakespearean creativity
- Appendix: an A-to-Z of Shakespeare's false friends.
