'You speak a language that I understand not.' Hermione's words to Leontes in The Winter's Tale are likely to ring true with many people reading or watching Shakespeare's plays today. For decades, people have been studying Shakespeare's life and times, and in recent years there has been a renewed surge of interest into aspects of his language. So how can we better understand Shakespeare? How did he manipulate language to produce such an unrivalled body of work, which has enthralled generations both as theatre and as literature? David Crystal addresses these and many other questions in this lively and original introduction to Shakespeare's language. Covering in turn the five main dimensions of language structure - writing system, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and conversational style - the book shows how examining these linguistic 'nuts and bolts' can help us achieve a greater appreciation of Shakespeare's linguistic creativity.
David Crystal is a writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster. He is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Bangor.
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': Shakespeare 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.
'In this authoritative and attractively written book David Crystal asks all the right questions about the language that Shakespeare used and the ways in which he used it. Here is a linguist who knows not only how words work but how they work in the theatre. Anyone who cares for Shakespeare will be informed and entertained by this intriguing and wide-ranging study.' Stanley Wells
