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The Gift of the Gab by David Crystal

The Gift of the Gab by David Crystal

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The Gift of the Gab

How Eloquence Works

by David Crystal

Yale University Press, 2016, [First Edition], ISBN 9780300214260, black and white photographs in text, hardcover, dustjacket

Near Fine Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, no inscriptions, dustjacket shows minor edge and shelf wear (see photographs)

“Crystal focuses on the here and now of eloquent speaking – from pitch, pace and prosody to jokes, appropriateness and how to wield a microphone.  He explains what is going on moment by moment and examines each facet of eloquence.  He also investigates such topics as the way current technologies help or hinder our verbal powers, the psychological effects of verbal excellence, and why certain places or peoples are thought to be more eloquent than others.  In the core analysis of the book, Crystal offers an extended and close dissection of Barack Obama’s electrifying ‘Yes we can’ speech of 2008, in which the president demonstrated full mastery of virtually every element of eloquence – from the simple use of parallelism and an awareness of what not to say, to his brilliant conclusion constructed around two powerful words: dreams and answers.”

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