The Journey Of English

Read about the history of the most popular language of the thousands spoken in the world today.

More than a million words, weird spellings, words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently or vice versa. Where on Earth did the English language come from? The answer is that English isn’t just the speech of one nation. It’s the memory of thousands of years of history. It tracks the places people came from, the places they went, the adventures they had, the friends and enemies they made, the battles they won and lost. As English changed and grew, it became a jumble of sounds, words, and rules from countless languages and nations. And it’s still changing and growing every day. More than seventy percent of all English words were born someplace other than England. That’s why English can be so confusing and inconsistent. And that’s why English is the richest, most international, and most versatile language in the world. This innovative book takes us on a journey through time to unravel and demystify the story of English. Word games, intriguing facts, and tricky quizzes add an element of fun while enriching readers’ knowledge and understanding.

One of the hottest topics in education today is trauma-informed pedagogy. Much of what has been written in this area comes from counselors, therapists, and other experts in this field, but there is very little written specifically about the effects of trauma on English learners. This book has been written to address this need. The authors have sifted through the literature on trauma and social-emotional learning (SEL) to provide the material that applies directly to English learners. This book was written mainly for teachers of students with immigrant backgrounds and for the building administrators who support them, including counselors, paraprofessionals, and social workers. This book is designed to provide a practical resource to help educators better understand the possible traumatic backgrounds of their students and how that could be affecting their academic, social, and emotional lives. It also focuses on how school personnel can create a safe environment in schools and classrooms to help students recognize, nurture, and expand the internal resilience that has enabled them to weather past situations and that will allow them to continue the healing process. One chapter is devoted to the topic of self-care for educators who are working so hard to help students be resilient. An appendix features a list of recommended books on the topics of personal migration and resilience.

A concise, original overview of the History of English, focusing on its early development and subsequent spread around the world.

What makes a place so memorable that it survives forever in a word? In this captivating round-the-world tour, Paul Anthony Jones acts as your guide through the intriguing stories of how eighty places became immortalized in the English language. You’ll discover why the origins of turkeys, limericks, Brazil nuts, and Panama hats aren’t quite as straightforward as you might presume. If you’ve never heard of the tiny Czech mining town of Jáchymov—or Joachimsthal, as it was known until the late 1800s—you’re not alone, which makes its claim to fame as the origin of the word “dollar” all the more extraordinary. The story of how the Great Dane isn’t all that Danish makes the list, as does the Jordanian mountain whose name has become a byword for a tantalizing glimpse. We’ll also find out what the Philippines has given to your office inbox, what Alaska has given to your liquor cabinet, and how a speech given by a bumbling North Carolinian gave us a word for impenetrable nonsense. Surprising, entertaining, and illuminating, this is essential reading for armchair travelers and word nerds. Our dictionaries are full of hidden histories, tales, and adventures from all over the world—if you know where to look.

From an acclaimed linguist, “part travelogue, part memoir, and part meditation on the intellectual and emotional underpinnings of language. . . . Priceless.” (Booklist) In this discursive jaunt through the groves and thickets of the English language, David Crystal creates an entertaining narrative account of his encounters with the language and its speakers. Woven from personal reflections, historical allusions, and observations of travelers, this fascinating journey through the language we use every day will have readers thinking twice about each word they speak. Starting in Wales and moving from England to San Francisco by way of, yes, Poland, Crystal encounters numerous linguistic side roads that he cannot resist exploring, from pubs to trains to Tolkien. Walking English is a captivating exploration of language by “one of England’s greatest living language commentators.” (The New Statesman) “In a conversational style that includes plenty of quirky facts, Crystal captures the exploratory, seductive, teasing, quirky, tantalizing nature of language study, and in doing so illuminates the fascinating world of words in which we live.” —Publishers Weekly “An informative, transformative trip into the mysterious, mutating, magical thicket of English.” (Kirkus Reviews) “Like passing the afternoon with a knowledgeable uncle.” —The Wall Street Journal “The Dr. Johnson of our age.” —The Sunday Herald “The book reads like a donnish Bill Bryson, a Bryson possessed with a maniacal passion for the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language! . . . [A] compelling guide.” —Independent “Crystal proves an entertaining companion! It is pleasant to ramble with him along the byways of language.” —The Tablet

"This fourth edition adds a fresh new voice from veteran English Education professor Ken Lindblom, where expertise in writing instruction, teaching with technology, and teaching informational and nonfiction texts complements Leila's love of literature and vast knowledge and experience across the field."--Back cover.