How English Became English: A Short History of a Global Language

by Simon Horobin

Overview

The English Language is spoken by more than a billion people throughout the world. But where did English come from? And how has it evolved into the language used today?

In How English Became English Simon Horobin investigates the evolution of the English language, examining how the language continues to adapt even today, as English continues to find new speakers and new uses. Engaging with contemporary concerns about correctness, Horobin considers whether such changes are improvements, or evidence of slipping standards. What is the future for the English Language? Will Standard English continue to hold sway, or are we witnessing its replacement by newly emerging Englishes?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198754275
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/01/2016
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 6.80(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Simon Horobin is Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Magdalen College. He has written extensively on the history, structure, and uses of the English language. He is the author of Does Spelling Matter? (OUP, 2013) and a number of books on the history of English, and the language of Chaucer.

Table of Contents

1: What is English?
2: Origins
3: Authority
4: Standards
5: Varieties
6: Global English
7: Why do we care?

Editorial Reviews

"A happy mixture of scholarship, clear writing, and humor." —Kirkus Reviews

"In this concise narrative of the history of the English language, Horobin analyzes historical context just enough to unfurl the object called 'English.'" —Library Journal, starred review

"... if you are serious about understanding the English language as it is, you should have this book in your hands and on your shelf." —The Baltimore Sun

"Any word lover or professional language manipulator will find something surprising and worthwhile in this book." —Copyediting.com

"In How English Became English, Simon Horobin examines both the history of this now global language as well as modern usage and controversies in a brief, layman's overview... [Horobin's] arguments are brilliantly presented... an interesting profile of the English language from many different angles." —Columbia Metropolitan

From the Publisher

★ 03/15/2016
In this concise narrative of the history of the English language, Horobin (English language & literature, Univ. of Oxford; Does Spelling Matter?) analyzes historical context just enough to unfurl the object called "English." In so doing, the author segments the language into habits of usage and local flavor. The core of his examples are gathered in support of English studies, but he also discusses famous alarmists (such as Samuel Johnson) who advocated for correct grammar and purity, the force of "American" English, and the modes of disconnect among the language's ability to implement terms from other language matrices. In addition, Horobin explores the scenarios in which vocabulary sets have been adopted from German and Latin to such a degree that the label "English" hides an incomplete tongue in the past and present that has been influenced by Indo-European languages. Horobin suggests the expansion of English occurred when the language was used by colonizing parties such as Great Britain and the United States. He further argues that although variant pronunciation, dialects, and pidgins are used internationally, there are still "prejudices" for certain usages over others, concluding that language has a diversity of social and political layers that are inseparable from its history. VERDICT Recommended for students of language history and general readers who enjoy familiarity with technical terms from an array of subjects.—Jesse A. Lambertson, Metamedia Management, LLC, Washington, DC

Library Journal

2016-02-15
A linguistics scholar glances at the history of the English language and takes on some contentious contemporary issues—from "fewer" and "less" to the relationship between language and social status. Horobin (English Language and Literature/Univ. of Oxford; Does Spelling Matter?, 2013, etc.) takes us swiftly through the history of the English language, occasionally slowing to point out some engaging phenomena. Throughout his text are some informative, and often amusing, graphics that illustrate and elaborate on his points (Calvin and Hobbes make an appearance). Horobin certainly attends to the geography and maps of his journey, reminding us about the earliest ancestors of English—with an interesting argument that perhaps Old English is so different from Modern English that it ought to be considered a separate language—about the English tendency to borrow from other languages, and about our enduring fondness for creating words (one of the most enjoyable is "adorkable": socially clumsy but charming). The author also teaches us about the evolution of dictionaries, grammar and usage guides, of the effects of social media, and of the association of "correct" usage with status—a fact quite evident today: see Facebook memes, Twitter wars, indignant op-ed pieces, and usage manuals. The author continually reminds us that "correctness" and preferred usage did not come down the mountain with Moses. Printers and others often invented them—sometimes fairly recently—and usage continuously changes. Horobin believes that teaching standard English remains important and, illustrating his own point, invariably uses "comprise" and "disinterested" in the correct manner. Near the end, he sketches some differences among the varieties of English in regions around the world. A tacit message throughout for speakers and writers of English: relax. Things have always changed, and they will continue to do so. A happy mixture of scholarship, clear writing, and humor.

Kirkus Reviews