English Language : For Beginners (Paperback)

Did you know that English borrowed the word 'pyjamas' from Hindi? Did you know that a child can recognise the mother's voice after than a day? Or that the first English dictionary was published in 1604 to educate Ladies, Gentle women or any other unskillful persons?

English Language For Beginners covers the history of English right from Anglo-Saxon times and unravels the mystery of how children acquire language. It examines the role of language in modern society and its relationship to sex, race and class. And it looks at how English has spread, changed and become a global language of many colours and varieties.

Everyday more and more people are learning English, today the figure stands at over billion people. That's over a fifth of the world's population and they should all read this book! It is an ideal study for the English Language student and a truly enlightening introduction for everyday else... if you speak English, this is the book for you.

If you need more convincing, here's what Professor David Crystal (author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, Listen to Your Child and lots of other good books) has to say about it.

'I was delighted to read this witty and ingenious account. It will be of great help to anyone making a first encounter with English Language.'

Table Of Contents
Chapter One: History
* The Origins of Language
* The Origins of English
* The Origin of Linguistics

Chapter Two: Child Language Acquisition
* Developmental Stages
* The Theories

* Chapter Three: Sex and Power
* Sex and Speech
* Bias and Language
* Power and Language

Chapter Four: Variety and Change
* Language Varieties
* Language Change
Index
* Bibliography
* Acknowledgements