A Dictionary of Linguistics & Phonetics (Language Library)

Rating:
Summary: Nothing more than it says
Review: Lucid prose. Good examples. Decent range. This dictionary is nothing more than it advertises. It is not an encyclopedia and therefore goes into very little depth. But it does collate terms from a broad range of disciplines within linguistics and has helped a novice like me become familiar with them (if not an expert). It is expecially good at describing how the meanings of terms have changed over time, or how they are employed in different contexts or sub-fields of linguistics.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing more than it says
Review: Lucid prose. Good examples. Decent range. This dictionary is nothing more than it advertises. It is not an encyclopedia and therefore goes into very little depth. But it does collate terms from a broad range of disciplines within linguistics and has helped a novice like me become familiar with them (if not an expert). It is expecially good at describing how the meanings of terms have changed over time, or how they are employed in different contexts or sub-fields of linguistics.

Rating:
Summary: David Crystal gets right to the point
Review: the book is especially useful when preparing for an examination, because it gives that kind of information you are looking for, by getting right to the point. Very helpful are the cross-references which can serve as guidelines for further searches. David Crystal gives detailed and exact definitions of the most important terms of linguistics and phonetics, but he neglects some of the key terminology of historical linguistics. Looking for definitions in this field of study, one should rather consult Hartmann / Storck:Dictionary of Language and Linguistics. However, particularly in the field of phonetics and phonology the book is an undefeatable source of information.