"A happy mixture of scholarship, clear writing, and humor." --Kirkus Reviews "In this concise narrative of the history of the English language, Horobin analyzes historical context just enough to unfurl the object called 'English.'" --Library Journal, starred review ". if you are serious about understanding the English language as it is, you should have this book in your hands and on your shelf." --The Baltimore Sun "Any word lover or professional language manipulator will find something surprising and worthwhile in this book." --Copyediting.com "In How English Became English, Simon Horobin examines both the history of this now global language as well as modern usage and controversies in a brief, layman's overview. [Horobin's] arguments are brilliantly presented.

an interesting profile of the English language from many different angles." --Columbia Metropolitan.