Language Matters

Edward L. Edmonds is a professor of education at the University of
Prince Edward Island.

The intriguing double meaning in the title of this book admirably
encapsulates its content and character. Clearly it is intended for
learners of English (senior high-school students in the main), and the
book reflects the editors’ own classroom experience as well as that of
a whole series of senior English teachers, whose advice they graciously
acknowledge. It features language structure and comprehension in the
meaningful context of everyday usage, includes useful follow-up
exercises, and provides a succinct synthesis of each chapter.

But the high calibre of essays, articles, and poems it contains
suggests that this book is also addressed to the more learned, and much
enjoyment can be gleaned from the various contributors’ treatment of
the subject. For example, one contributor pokes fun at those perplexing
irregularities of strong and weak verbs (known as such only to
grammarians), while the anonymous author of a poem titled “English”
tilts at the notorious inconsistencies of spelling and
pronunciation—but another contributor uses a serious analogy to
explain English syntax. Chapter 6 explores an area that is
all-too-frequently neglected or overlooked: silent language. The final
chapter affirms the ongoing relationship between language, life, and
literature. All in all, Language Matters is an excellent modern text and
resource.