The Language Revolution

We are living through the consequences of a linguistic revolution.Dramatic linguistic change has left us at the beginning of a newera in the evolution of human language, with repercussions for manyindividual languages. In this book, David Crystal, one of the world'sauthorities on language, brings together for the first time thethree major trends which he argues have fundamentally altered theworld's linguistic ecology: first, the emergence of Englishas the world's first truly global language; second, thecrisis facing huge numbers of languages which are currentlyendangered or dying; and, third, the radical effect on language ofthe arrival of Internet technology. Examining the interrelationships between these topics, Crystalencounters a vision of a linguistic future which is radicallydifferent from what has existed in the past, and which will make usrevise many cherished concepts relating to the way we think aboutand work with languages. Everyone is affected by this linguisticrevolution. The Language Revolution will be essential reading foranyone interested in language and communication in the twenty-firstcentury.