About this title: David Crystal, world authority on the English language, presents a lively and factual account of the rise of English as a global language and explores the whys and wherefores of the history, current status and future potential of English as the international language of communication. English has been lauded as the most 'successful' language ever, ...
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Edition: Second Edition
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780521530323ISBN:0521530326
Description: New. David Crystal, world authority on the English language, presents a lively and factual account of the rise of English as a global language and explores the whys and wherefores of the history, current status and future potential of English as the international language of communication. English has been lauded as the most ‘successful' language ever, with 1, 500 million speakers worldwide; but Crystal avoids taking sides and tells the story in a measured but engaging way, backed by facts and ... read more
Description: New. This new edition of David Crystal'Äôs influential book contains extra sections on subjects including the future of English as a world language, English on the Internet, and the possibility of an English 'Äòfamily'Äô of languages; footnotes; new tables; and a full bibliography. There are updates throughout. read more
Edition: Second Edition
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780521530323ISBN:0521530326
Description: New. 216 x 128 Mm. This classic book includes material on the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation of New Englishes, footnotes and full bibliography. • The best available account of English as an international phenomenon • Updated edition, with extra sections on the future of English as a world language, English on the Internet, the possibility of an English ‘family' of languages, footnotes and a full bibliography • Suitable for anyone of any nationality concerned with English: teachers, ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780521530323ISBN:0521530326
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
"The information set forth and presented by Crystal in English as a Global Language seems like common knowledge. Anyone who has been through school or pays even the slightest attention to the news already knows that English has spread across the globe through colonisation and post-WW2 American influence. Crystal attempts to explain how English spread, but he seems to focus more on simply describing its spread. When I started reading this book, I did not expect such a long history lesson.
Personally, I would have rather seen more discussion about the effects of English being the dominant global language. Generally, Crystal only seemed to scratch the surface of a much deeper topic.
If you simply do not know much about European history, colonisation, or post-WW2 American influence, then you might find this book informative. However, I overall can summarise the book in a few words: "English is the dominant global language.""
"The book has a lot of interesting things to think about, but the way the information is presented sometimes had trouble maintaining my interest. I read the updated 2002 version, but it felt that the job of updating the facts, figures and important trends in the development of World English could have been performed more thoroughly."
"A brief and somewhat generalized but nonetheless interesting evaluation of the state of English as a global language. Dates from the late 1990s, so the figures and some of the conclusions are a bit out of date."
"A concise, readable account of the spread of English throughout the globe during the 19th and 20th centuries. Too short to be particularly in depth. Some have criticized Crystal for attempting to be(impossibly, they'd argue) "neutral" in his analysis. I found his treatment of the issue to be pretty even-handed, but it's been revealing to read this while also reading Phillipson, who sees conspiracy and politics every step of the way when it comes to the spread of this language.
Happy to see plenty of support for multilingualism. I am only now beginning to realize how unusual it is to be a monolingual speaker of any language, let alone English."
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