Word books traditionally focus on unusual and quirky items. They tend to ignore the words that provide the skeleton of the language, without which it would fall apart, such as 'and' and 'what,' or words that provide structure to our conversation, such as 'hello.
David CrystalAcademics don't normally manage to alter people's way of thinking through their strength of argument.
David CrystalYou don't talk to a linguist without having what you say taken down and used in evidence against you at some point in time.
David CrystalLanguage 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 Crystal