Language has no independent existence apart from the people who use it. It is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end of understanding who you are and what society is like.
David CrystalAs I get older and I get a few more years experience I become more like Dad, you know, King Lear.
David CrystalText messaging is just the most recent focus of people's anxiety; what people are really worried about is a new generation gaining control of what they see as their language.
David CrystalIt took three years to put Shakespeare's words together, there were a lot of words to be studied and a lot of words to be sorted out, and it proved to be a major project.
David Crystal