This is a better book than Gooden's, The Story of English. In almost half the number of pages, Horobin covers virtually the same ground in a more concise, interesting and detailed manner. I was particularly interested in the chapters regarding varieties of English spoken in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. I did not realize what an impact the original regional dialects of the first English colonists had on the varieties of English that came to be used in these countries.

Also, with interest, I read the chapter that talks about Singlish (Singaporean English) and its mix of English, Malay and Chinese words and grammatical constructs. I have a Singaporean friend on Facebook who I often see using Singlish in her posts.

It is a quick read, though you may not think so by the amount of time it took me to finish. A number of other life activities got in the way over the past month, but if you have an interest, I do recommend this book for a well-written overview of the English language. ( )

Super fascinating and well-written. Horobin does a really great job of being unbiased for the majority of the text, stating all the facts from all sides of the issue. It's also surprisingly in-depth for such a little book. Not only is there a history of the English language with specific examples, there's also a bunch on modern issues with English such as texting and Spanglish and what even counts as a language anyway? PLUS, he concludes it all with a why does it matter section. I applaud not only the book itself, but the structure as well.

Great for nerds like me who love words and languages and obscure facts. Also great for anyone concerned with modern social issues, because language is a big part of every "race" and culture, and Horobin does a great job of addressing it. ( )

A fascinating writing on the origins, development and spread of the English language.
Simon Horobin also speculates how long the language will last and what, if any, other language may take its place.
A must for any language student.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Oxford University Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. ( )