The English Languages

by Tom McArthur

Hundreds of millions of people use English every day everywhere in the world, but may or may not succeed in understanding each other. Despite the success of its standard form (or forms) in many countries, the complex called "English" is immensely diverse--probably more diverse than any single language has ever been--and is likely to become even more so in the next century. This book is a compelling and broad-ranging invitation to consider the variety, the options and the implications of this vast system. The English Languages looks at the "pluralism" of English, the "Englishes," that have arisen in the past twenty years or so, and addresses the question of whether or not English can be considered a family of languages in its own right, like the Romance languages.

Genres: Linguistics, Language, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 1998

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those studying linguistics, this is probably a very important book. I like that this book explores the various history behind the English language. Notice the title is pluralized - well, there are so many variations in this world, it's so compelling how it has no boundaries. Is it a dialect? An accent? and most importantly, what does it mean to be in the "standard form"?