by
John McLaughlin, PhD
English Department, East Stroudsburg University, Emeritus
john.mclaughlin4@verizon.net
This review appeared
in Language Quarterly, Vol 33, Nos. 3-4 (Summer-Fall, 1995), 249-51.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Ed. David.Crystal,
Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-521-40179-8. Hardcover. $49.95 489
pages, full-color illustration throughout. 24 Chapters, in six parts, with seven
appendices including a glossary, list of symbols and abbreviations, references
and further readings, three indices (linguistic items, authors/personalities
and topics), plus acknowledgements.
This lavish follow-through to the same author's Cambridge Encyclopedia of
Language (Cambridge, 1987), focusses in its turn on English alone, in its
worldwide, imperial manifestations. Where the earlier work was admittedly a
linguistic reference, this lavish, full-color coffee-table-sized book seems
aimed at a more general audience, one which might be taken to need the lightly
humorous touch provided by the cartoons, TV ads, comic sidebars and other visual
aids which appear on every double-page spread unit.
The choice of the double-page spread as both intellectual and graphic unit is
in itself an indication of the general audience sought by the author and publishers.
Not for this audience the forced march through the seven classes of strong verbs
in Old English, unrelieved by humor or side- view into other realms of the language
and culture; transliterated runes, photographs of reconstructed Anglo-Saxon
huts, a color facsimile of the first lines of Beowulf, a full-color reproduction
of a page from the Lindisfarne Gospels, Caedmon's story interlineated -- no
stone is left unturned to provide an attractive, variegated mosaic of the language
in its earliest appearances in England before the Norman Conquest. Each stage
in the history and development of the language is treated in similar fashion;
anyone who has ever wondered about the origin of "Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe" is
treated not only to a discussion of "Ye Olde Letters," but is given photographic
displays and discussion of manuscript features and the influence of "Chancery
Standard" on the development of English spelling. Declaring that "There is no
doubt that an Early Modern English period needs to be recognized in the history
of English," Prof. Crystal proceeds to demonstrate this with examples of Caxton's
pages, in transliterated facsimiles, a demonstration of dialect differences
in the 15th century (the "egg" vs. "eyren" story), and a discussion of the problems
Caxton faced in making the choices which he recognized would standardize one
dialect over against another. A discussion of place-namesis accompanied by snapshots
of the places themselves -- Silbury Hill andLangstrothdale Chase, Woodcote and
Lake Buttermere, Inverness and Bradford-on-Avon -- with synonyms and related
words for hills and slopes, valleys and groves, woods, dwellings, farmsteads
and coastline features.
That this is a lively, richly informative work, repaying repeated study of at
least the browsing, non-exam-oriented kind, seems to be without question. The
choice of sequence of topics, however, might bear some discussion. Beginning
with the entire sweep of history (Part I) and then going to discussion of the
vocabulary of English (Part II), and only then to English Grammar (Part III)
means putting off, until halfway through the book, the discussion of phonology
that makes sense out of the earlier discussion of the development of the language,
at least for some readers trained to look for underlying causes of linguistic
change. These are not the expected readers, of course, in part explaining this
particular choice of sequence: we begin with the history, says Prof. Crystal,
because, above all, "it satisfies the deep-rooted sense of curiosity we have
about our linguistic heritage. People like to be aware of their linguistic roots"
(p.5). That this means considerable cross- referencing to explain what will
be more fully discussed later, or to offer other paths back into the labyrinth,
soon becomes clear. As a "travellers guide," it is noted that "chapters, and
sections within chapters, have been planned as self-contained entities" (the
facing-page spread noted as the basic graphic unit), with "relevant conceptual
underpinning provided by the frequent use of cross-references" (Preface, vi).
Thus, in discussion of the "Lexical Invasions" in Old English (Pp. 24-25), we
are reminded to go back to p. 10 for Vulgar Latin in Old English, but also sent
forward to p. 48 for later discussions of classical borrowing at another stage
of English. Discussion of the effect of Norse (p. 25) sends us back to the Battle
of Maldon (p.12), but discussion of the verb "to be" on p. 25 sends
us forward to check the spread of the -s ending on other verbs (p. 44).
If this calls forth images for some readers of the happy browser, flipping back
and forward as fancy takes him, for other readers this might recall the concept
of "hypertext," the computer-program term which refers to the reader's cross-referencing
to the point of creating his or her own narrative out of the shower of possible
topics unfolding from his or her own personal choices of pathways from among
those offered and cross- referenced. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion
that Prof. Crystal would be more than happy to have his large book re-composed
as a hypertext program for use in computer format, the click of a mouse replacing
the swish of page-turning, permitting the end-user to surf the network of references
at will. Until the time this program is written, of course, the curious browser
must content himself with flipping back and forward, following the parenthetical
clues provided. All that is missing is a sound track, but that is mere technology
away. Gregorian chants to illustrate monkish scribes, anyone? A little rap music...?
I look forward with interest to the hypertext version; in the meantime, this
may indeed be as close as we shall get.
John McLaughlin, Summer, 1995