Pages: 21

Chapter 1 introduces the themes of the book, by looking at English's current status as a global language, with around two billion speakers and vast historical and regional diversity. It argues that studying English involves much more than simply learning the grammar of the language – it's about analysing its history, variety and the relationships it has with both power and identity. Ultimately, ‘English’ is not a single, fixed entity but a collection of diverse practices shaped by its speakers worldwide.

Pages: 27

Chapter 2 explores the history of English, explaining its unique features through the events that have shaped its development. Its seemingly illogical spelling patterns are fossils of historical events, from Anglo-Saxon settlement to Viking invasions, which introduced Old Norse words and also simplified the grammar of the language. The chapter outlines the conventional periodization of English (Old, Middle, Modern), noting these are modern constructs. It emphasizes that English has always existed amidst multilingualism, shaped by contact and change, with its history being the story of its diverse speakers rather than the evolution of a single, stable entity.

Pages: 14

Chapter 3 details how the Norman Conquest transformed English. The arrival of French-speaking Normans created a linguistic hierarchy, embedding thousands of French words into domains of power like the law and government. This resulted in English's unique ‘lexical layering’, where Germanic words remained for everyday concepts, and French-derived synonyms entered for formal or elite contexts. This duality enriched English, giving it an extensive and flexible vocabulary. Despite French political dominance after the Norman conquest, English re-emerged as the primary language by the late fourteenth century, having absorbed these influences while simplifying its grammar, and ultimately becoming a sophisticated language of literature and governance.

Pages: 26

Chapter 4 details the process of language standardization, where a specific dialect is selected and codified as the ‘correct’ form of the language. For English, this began during the Early Modern period, driven by practical needs like printing (e.g., Caxton's press) and administration (e.g., the Chancery Standard), rather than state policy. It established fixed rules for spelling, grammar and punctuation, creating a benchmark for ‘proper’ English. This process, alongside codification in dictionaries and grammars, elevated the prestige of English and enabled its use in literature, science and governance. It also entrenched prescriptive ideologies, marginalizing non-standard varieties and creating debates about correctness that persist today.

Pages: 22

Chapter 5 explores the rise of English as a global language, a process driven by British colonialism and later American influence. This linguistic globalization is characterized by English becoming a common medium for international business, science and culture. The chapter outlines how English spread through different types of colonization – settlement, exploitation and plantation – leading to distinct varieties worldwide. It introduces Braj Kachru's Three Circles model (Inner, Outer, Expanding) to categorize these varieties based on their historical spread and current function. The chapter also critiques the concept of the ‘native speaker’, arguing that it is often used to perpetuate discriminatory ideologies that unfairly privilege certain speakers over others.

Pages: 15

Chapter 6 examines the intrinsic link between language, identity and politics. It argues that accents and dialects are powerful markers of social identity, yet they are often subject to prejudice and hierarchical judgments that reinforce class and educational inequalities. The chapter critiques the concept of a ‘standard’ accent, showing how it is a social construct which has been used to marginalize non-standard speakers, and how this impacts their life opportunities. It explores the political dimension of language, demonstrating how word choice and framing are not neutral but actively shape public perception and social reality. English's global dominance is also analysed as a form of linguistic imperialism, where power dynamics are perpetuated through language.

Pages: 26

Chapter 7 explores the profound and reciprocal relationship between technology and the English language. It argues that new communication tools, from the printing press through to the smartphone, actively reshape language through their affordances and constraints, influencing everything from spelling (txtspk) to new vocabulary (e.g., ‘selfie;). The chapter highlights how digital mediation has blurred the lines between spoken and written English, creating hybrid forms like ‘Screenlish’. It discusses how global technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are having a standardizing effect on language while also reinforcing the dominance of English due to its vast digital corpus. Ultimately, technology is shown to be an ecological force, fundamentally altering how we communicate with each other, and thus how we relate to each other.