The English language

Extremely informative brief introduction on the development of the English language, particularly emphasising its flexibility. For the most part, enjoyable read: there were parts where I felt my attention slip, and some hard slogs through some paragraphs, but all-in-all an entertaining, informative and thought-provoking [leaves you wanting more...] book. The Afterword -- which looks at what a language can tell us about its speakers, about culture, and furthermore how language is being studied and analysed today -- is well worth the read also.