How Language Works

I'm reading a book called How Language Works by David Crystal. It is a really excellent, comprehensive look at what makes human language unique from other forms of communication, and, well, how it works. I studied Linguistics and have always had a fascination and love for language. I teach Spanish and English as a Second Language at the college level. When I tell people I studied Linguistics, they often ask, "What's that?" or "What do linguists do?" My standard response has always been that Linguistics is the study of what languages have in common (what it means to be a language) and how they differ. That usually seems to satisfy the curiosity, but sometimes it doesn't and people want more specifics. From now on, when someone asks me this question, I am going to suggest that they read How Language Works by David Crystal.