Why I like the book and why I would
recommend it:
1.
It is a gripping story of the
development of English language.
2.
It is reader-friendly and
immediately captures the reader’s attention.
3.
It broadens one’s academic horizons,
even though it is not a dry academic text.
4.
It is supplemented by visuals, such as
maps, illustrations and diagrams.
5.
It is memorable; it includes
interesting usage points, anecdotes and metaphors.
6.
It is universal; it is
particularly suitable for a non-native speaker of English but native speakers can
learn a lot, especially from Parts I and II.
7.
It gives the reader a holistic
picture; it discusses the past, present and future of English.
8.
It promotes critical thinking:
by discussing the past, it helps the reader to understand the present, and by discussing
the past and the present it helps the reader to see the future.
9.
It does not favour one particular
English; it acknowledges all Englishes, including pidgins, creoles and
regional variations.
10. By acknowledging all Englishes, it does not divide people; it
unifies them.
11. By acknowledging all Englishes, it tells us that there is no ‘correct’
way of doing things; diversity is what makes life interesting.
12. It educates the reader: it tells us that by learning about the language
we can learn about life and the human race in general.
13. It explains that everything in life evolves so by claiming that there
should be one correct form of usage in a language we actually deny life itself.
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