Why Is English Like That?: Historical Answers to Hard ELT Questions

Saw it at the library and just had to have my own copy. Now I can annotate to my heart's content. I also arrived a few days early. That was cool.

Linguistics is not everyone's chosen light reading, but "Why is English Like That?" is a great introduction to both the history and linguistic characteristics of our language. Anyone puzzled by the illogic of irregular verbs, our horrific spelling, or why there seem to be two words for everything in English (not true, but it sometimes feels that way) would find enlightenment a simple and enjoyable task with this book.

I had to get this for school but it became one of my favorites. It is very interesting how English has evolved.

Book was in perfect shape and timing was correct. I'll do it again someday soon. always happy with new books.

This is an awesome book.

It is helpful and interesting.

This under-appreciated book answers many pesky English questions from advanced ESL students, adds historical insight to vocabulary and grammar lessons, and deepens both novice and experienced EFL teachers' love of our native language. It's a powerful book! Plus, it caused this reader to smile several times.It's also a great book to train, and inspire, English teachers. When I became the director of an English program in Vietnam, I wanted to pack an entire suitcase of books and build a reference library for EFL instructors. Unfortunately, weight matters. So I could only take a few books. This fantastic book made that short, and rather exclusive, list. After using it for a training session, the book was continually being borrowed by various English teachers. Why? Because this book amuses as it instructs.As the old American cereal commercial advised, "try it - you'll like it."

Teachers and instructors are often faced with questions from English language learners that are difficult to answer because the English language is a living language that has developed over time, and not always in a logical manner. Sometimes the correct answers do not turn on knowing formal rules of English, but rather require a teacher or instructor to have an understanding of the history and development of English. This book provides teachers and instructors with a historical perspective of the English language to help them be better able to handle some of the difficult questions that their English language learners may ask.The authors provide an introductory chapter on the importance of the English language as a global language, and a concluding chapter that asks questions about the future of the English language. But, the heart and substance of the book are the chapters on: (1) a brief history of the English language; (2) English grammar; (3) English vocabulary; (4) the sounds of English; (5) the spelling of English; and (6) different forms of English around the world. Those six substantive chapters: (a) introduce some basic concepts from linguistics; (b) discuss the topics from a historical perspective, and give examples of how various aspects of the English language have developed and changed over time; (c) identify how the topics discussed have application to English language teaching; and (d) suggest classroom activities that English language teachers and instructors can use to cover the topics with their students.The book is a technical work written for teachers and instructors teaching English, not English language learners. The book could be a useful reference book that teachers and instructors might use to get background information and ideas to help them formulate informative answers to questions from English language learners that require some understanding and appreciation of the historical development of the English language. The book is too technical for casual reading, but too basic and introductory for readers interested in a detailed exploration of the history and development of the English language.Readers interested in more a detailed discussion of the history and development of the English language should consider taking a look at the following books: Albert C. Baugh & Thomas Cable, A History of the English Language; and Lynda Mugglestone, The Oxford History of English.