Language Structure and Language Use: Essays,

Ferguson presents a comparative analysis of many languages. Showing how you can meaningfully compare 2 languages to find similarities and differences. Examples are cited from Turkish, Tamil, Arabic, Farsi and others. Diglossia crops up often in this book. It refers to a language that has 2 major forms. This presents problems when teaching. Ferguson suggests that both forms must be taught; just one in isolation is not adequate. He cites Arabic as an important instance. There is the vernacular form and the classical form. The book was written in 1971, but the issue of teaching Arabic to native English speakers has taken on new urgency since 2001. Few Americans know Arabic. But the need to understand the Middle East is now understood to be important. So the book is quite timely.