English: One Tongue, Many Voices

by Jan Svartvik, Geoffrey Leech

This is the fully revised and expanded second edition of English - One Tongue, Many Voices, a book by three internationally distinguished English language scholars who tell the fascinating, improbable saga of English in time and space. Chapters trace the history of the language from its obscure beginnings over 1500 years ago as a collection of dialects spoken by marauding, illiterate tribes. They show how the geographical spread of the language in its increasing diversity has made English into an international language of unprecedented range and variety. The authors examine the present state of English as a global language and the problems, pressures and uncertainties of its future, online and offline. They argue that, in spite of the amazing variety and plurality of English, it remains a single language.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Linguistics

303 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2006

Reviews

[Natália B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd recommend this book to everyone who ever wondered why is English so messed up (it's not actually)
4* for the first part and 3* for second and third

[Eskil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Det var ikke noe i boka som ikke ble dekt i forelesningene på engelsk grunnfag, men tror likevel førsteårsstudenter burde lese den fra perm til perm. Den har ikke fotnoter eller kompliserte litteraturlister, den er enkel nok til at gymnasiaster kunne lest den, og det å lese akademiske bøker er en ferdighet som krever innsats, kunnskap, vane og selvtillit. Helt ok og fin bok! Befriende sammenligna med å lese bøker skrevet for andre akademikere.

[Joy Reinbold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this text informative and engaging. I would recommend for a history of English course, though perhaps not for pleasure reading.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part was interesting, but the second and third seemed too long.

[Sofie Strömvall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very educative. Really interesting. Unnecessarily difficult wording sometimes, most of the time. A good read, not only for school but for personal reasons as well. Glad I read it.

[Neridah · Rating 4 out of 5]

You too can bore friends and acquaintances with such trivia as:

- The word 'juggernaught' derives from Jagannatha, a form of the Hindu god Vishnu.
- The title "Lord" comes from 'hlafweard' meaning 'guardian of the loaf'
- Now we just have one definite article ("the") but Old English had - wait for it - 12.

I must be a true weirdo, because I read this for fun, and as an English language teacher I like to know why things are as messy as they are. It's a readable reference book that connected a lot of dots for me about the history of the language. The tone is still academic so it's not exactly a riot, but information is clearly set out. Some examples of Australian English struck me as the usual stereotyped and dated slang (Eat a sanga you bald as a bandicoot yobbo or you'll be as full as a goog), which makes me question the accuracy of other dialect analyses. Also the sections on language use and change on the internet is obviously going to date REALLY quickly, though pretty good for the moment.

If you're interested in the history of English but don't want to buy a text book even if it is informative and readable, there's a podcast that goes into excruciating detail that I have also enjoyed.

[Lina]

When it comes to curriculum, I'm not easy on the ratings. It's extremely difficult to write a good book curriculum-wise, but Svartvik & Leech has managed to do just that. The book gives a good, and easy understanding of how the English language have expanded since it's meek beginning. They raise questions regarding how the language will continue to expand, and most importantly: they make me want to read on. They make me enjoy reading the curriculum. Kudos for giving me a book I actually enjoy, and who is not such a heavy read I want to die.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book for school. The class was far more interesting than the book, I must say, but that is probably due to the professor and the wonderful dialogue we had (also, I got an A+). That being said, the book is not bad. It is clearly not written by an Anglophile or someone with a Eurocentric view of the world, so to see the narrative of English's beginnings and where it may be headed was legitimately interesting. If you are interested in language, I would recommend it.

[Allison Wonderland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more than decent for what it is, but I can't say that the development of the English language presents a particularly alluring story for me. I read it for a Linguistics class, and while I'm certainly grateful that my professor decided to forgo the usual dry fare, I didn't find myself reaching for English - One Tongue, Many Voices out of anything but a resigned sense of duty.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a textbook but it was actually just so interesting! That's saying a lot about a textbook.

[Bookshire Cat]

I have read only chapters 10 to 12 for my sociolinguistics class. Easy to read and understand.