language wars

Have you ever spoken to someone who you could not understand at all even though you were both speaking English? Maybe they were from a different region of the country than you, or from a different country altogether. In America there are so many different accents that it can be difficult to understand some one from rural Louisiana if you are from Seattle.  Also since English is a language that is spoken in many other countries all of those dialects can come in to play as well. These accents and hybridizations all make communicating very difficult and can even be the source of conflict. So who is right? The rules set by Standard American English are hardly followed any where in the world. Even in England there are variances so its tough to say what “real” English is.

Henry Hitchings discusses these point and more in his book Language Wars.  A lot of what we’ll cover this month can be found in this book which makes it the perfect book to read while we take our journey online. We are trying something new with the book club this month as well. Instead of the book club being a separate experience on line, we are going to have the book club review during The Break Fast Club at the end of the month. So if you are in Los Angeles and reading the book, carve our the morning of April 27th to join in discussing the book as well as other elements of language and communication.

As usual, if this is your first foray into the Book Club the first book is on us, just fill out the form below and sign up for the forum and your paperback or ebook will arrive in a few days (continental US).

 

Enjoi.

 

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