WRITER

David Crystal

1941 - Today

Photo of David Crystal

Icon of person David Crystal

David Crystal, (born 6 July 1941) is a British linguist who works on the linguistics of the English language. Crystal studied English at University College London and has lectured at Bangor University and the University of Reading. He was awarded an OBE in 1995 and a Fellowship of the British Academy in 2000. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of David Crystal has received more than 509,417 page views. His biography is available in 34 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 29 in 2019). David Crystal is the 3,345th most popular writer (up from 3,382nd in 2019), the 2,402nd most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 2,502nd in 2019) and the 273rd most popular British Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 510k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 51.98

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 34

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 4.56

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.87

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

How Language Works
Linguistics, Language and languages
In the author's own words, "How Language Works is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex—or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as David Crystal makes clear in this work of unprecedented scope, language is an extremely powerful tool that defines the human species. Crystal offers general readers a personal tour of the intricate workings of language. He moves effortlessly from big subjects like the origins of languages, how children learn to speak, and how conversation works to subtle but revealing points such as how email differs from both speech and writing in important ways, how language reveals a person's social status, and how we decide whether a word is rude or polite. Broad and deep, but with a light and witty touch, How Language Works is the ultimate layman's guide to how we communicate with one another.
2005
Introduction to language pathology
Language disorders
1980
What is linguistics?
Linguistics
1968
Grammatical analysis of language disability
Communicative disorders, Comparative and general Grammar, Diagnosis
1976
Linguistics
Linguistics
1971
Shakespeare's words
Dictionaries, Language, English language
2002

Among WRITERS

Among writers, David Crystal ranks 3,345 out of 7,302. Before him are Leif G. W. Persson, Tarabai Shinde, Henry Becque, Yu Hua, Abu Ali Bal'ami, and Francesco de Sanctis. After him are Isaac Casaubon, Cornelis Tromp, Valerius Antias, John Ford, Karl Ove Knausgård, and Eysteinn Erlendsson.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1941, David Crystal ranks 265. Before him are Pak Seung-zin, Lothar Bisky, Andrea de Adamich, Pasqual Maragall, Robert McKee, and Tania Mallet. After him are Richie Havens, Pino Donaggio, Bakili Muluzi, Cristina Peri Rossi, Wu Bangguo, and Chieko Baisho.

Others Born in 1941

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, David Crystal ranks 2,402 out of 8,785. Before him are Adam Clayton (1960), Hayley Atwell (1982), William Gull (1816), John Williams (1903), Toby Jones (1966), and Tania Mallet (1941). After him are Basil Bernstein (1924), Mary Ann Cotton (1832), John Ford (1586), Mark Thatcher (1953), George Turner (1841), and Damian Lewis (1971).

Others born in United Kingdom

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Among WRITERS In United Kingdom

Among writers born in United Kingdom, David Crystal ranks 273. Before him are Paul Johnson (1928), Frances Burney (1752), John Brunner (1934), Peter Mayle (1939), Anna Sewell (1820), and Arnold Wesker (1932). After him are John Ford (1586), Vera Brittain (1893), William Hope Hodgson (1877), Charles Lamb (1775), John Henry Mackay (1864), and Grace Elliott (1754).

British born Writers

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