Word Traitors - by David Crystal (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From admiration, admonishment and adventureto vicious, vulgar and zany, this A-Z guide is full of fascinating facts and enlightening definitions that will help readers to learn more about the language Shakespeare used, ultimately encouraging a better understanding his plays and poems.

Entertaining, informative and accessible, Word Traitors introduces Shakespeare's false friends - words that don't mean what they seem to mean today, to modern eyes and ears - showing their most frequently encountered instances, explaining their etymology and current meaning, and illustrating their use from over 300 characters taken from all Shakespeare's plays.

With over 170 alphabetical entries featuring the word in question, its modern-day meaning, historical meaning, and examples from the plays, this is an ideal companion for anyone, actors and readers alike, wanting to deepen their appreciation of the work of William Shakespeare.

'Why, what a brood of traitors have we here!' Clifford in Henry VI Part 2.

Foreword by Sir Gregory Doran, Artistic Director, Royal Shakespeare Company (2012-2022).

About the Author

David Crystal, OBE, is known throughout the world as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster on language. His work on Shakespeare includes Pronouncing Shakespeare, Think on My Words: Exploring Shakespeare's Languages, and, with Ben Crystal, Everyday Shakespeare: Lines for Life, Shakespeare's Words, The Shakespeare Miscellany, and The Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary. He has written or edited over 100 books and published numerous articles for scholarly, professional, and general readerships on the history and development of English, including The Stories of English, How Language Works, Evolving English, Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling, Crystal's Curiosity Cabinet: An English Language Miscellany, and Wordsmiths and Warriors: The English-Language Tourist's Guide to Britain, with Hilary Crystal.