In this book, David Crystal describes with his wonderful sense of humor his long, happy life spent contemplating language. Crystal recounts his contributions to the field and the field's subsequent effect on his life as it has led him to talk and travel worldwide. Partly autobiography, partly how-to and partly an account of linguistics in the 20th century, the book reveals the influences that led the well-known linguist to his subject matter. As many renowned figures are asked to do, Crystal explains how he discovered the discipline and why he dedicated himself to it so fully and passionately. Raised in a multilingual/multidialectal town, Crystal says he was primed for the career as a youth and continually seduced by it as a young adult. He also includes dozens of pictures of his travels along with family, friends and colleagues and makes frequent reference to them.
The book is interspersed with grey panels containing several paragraphs, planted in relevant sections and entitled “Linguist as ——.” (The panels are listed at the front of the book along with their page numbers). Crystal uses these as a device to break his life into “phrases” he has gone through as a linguist and to link the profession to such unexpected fields as “entrepreneur,” “dancer,” and “spymaster,” demonstrating the underlying linguistic current of life. In addition, Crystal makes clever connections between “linguist” and “foul mouth,” “revolutionary,” “tease,” and “plant.” Under each heading Crystal shares a mini-story about being both linguist and ——. His point: everything social and uniquely human is linguistically relevant. All's fair in love of language; life is your subject of study. A good example of both the panel device and Crystal's sense of humor is “Linguist as (failed) speech therapist,” about the enthusiastic and overbearing attempt by Crystal and his wife (a speech therapist) to “help” their son learn to speak. Not surpristingly, the child developed language only after his parents stepped aside to let the natural process occur without the aid of their expertise.
A word of caution: this book is not for readers looking for theory or details of Crystal's studies. No real problem, however, since there are literally one hundred other Crystal-authored and edited books to turn to for subject specifics. This book is for Crystal fans, pure and simple. Clearly marking the phases he's gone through with narratives, reflections and photographs, Crystal offers his life lessons and experiences to all who care to know them. He shares stories he has never before publicly revealed, many of which were clearly painful to disclose. The book is relevant to linguists not for any data or analyses it contains, but for the love of life and language it conveys.
