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This is a clear and lively introduction to the English language and its use, organized into thematic chapters, each of which can be read at one sitting. This expanded second edition has been revised in the light of recent research and now features three new chapters on Chomsky, American English and English around the world.

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In this lively and engaging textbook, Rob Penhallurick introduces readers to the diversity and history of the English language, and to relevant contemporary and classic work in linguistics. Organised into eighteen thematic chapters, each of which can be read in one sitting, it covers topics such as the effects of dialect and accent on identity, swearing and offensive names in English, language and gender, language planning and theories about the origin of language. Chapters are full of entertaining examples, illustrations and suggestions for further reading.

This is an ideal companion for all those new to the study of the English language, and essential reading for anyone with a general interest in the subject.

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Abbreviations .- List of Figures.- Acknowledgements.- Preface.- Space: The Diversity of English.- Time: The History and Pre-History of English.- Contact: The Case of Middle English .- ´She Loves You. Yes! Yes! Yes! American English Inside Out.- English Across the World: History and Varieties.- Signs: The Semiotic View of Language.- Strange Orchestras: The Underlying Symbolic Structure of Languages.- Myth: Language and Reality.- Sex: Language and Gender.- Tyranny: Some Daring and Ingenious Escapes .- Telling Stories: The Structure of Discourse in English.- What´s in a Norm? The Nature of Standard English.- Language with Attitude: Dialect, Accent and Identity .- Fixing: Language Planning and Regulation.- Slippage: Slips of the Tongue and Other Blunders .- Communication Breakdown: Modelling What Happens When We Communicate.- Noam Chomsky and the Generative Enterprise: Language as it is if You Don´t Have To Bother Talking.- The Nature of Language: Linguistic Theory and the Question of Origins.- References for Examples.- Bibliography .- Webography.- Index.

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ROB PENHALLURICK is Head of English at the University of Wales, Swansea, UK.

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