This accessible, single volume text provides a lively overview of English around the world. The book is illustrated with fascinating examples of varieties of English taken from fiction, popular culture, newspapers, and transcriptions of the recordings on the accompanying cassette. It also includes an introduction to the principles of linguistic variation, varieties of English as a second language, and future trends. Nearly all areas of the world in which English is spoken are represented including the American South, the Shetland Islands, St. Kitts, and many others.