Whose Language Is English?

An exhilarating new account of the English language, from British colonialism to the age of social media, emphasizing dynamism and democratization.

Whose Language Is English? Although we often think of it as native to one place, today there are many Englishes. About seventy-five countries now use English as their official or first language, and the number of people speaking it around the world continues to rise. However, the makeup of the English-speaking population is changing. The proportion of speakers for whom English is a first language is decreasing due to the explosion in popularity of English as a second language.

In this ambitious book, Jieun Kiaer explores the lives of English words in the twenty-first century, when the creation and use of language have become increasingly dynamic, interactive, and diverse. Ordinary people have taken leading roles, offering such coinages as "flexitarian," "MeToo," "glow up," and "shitizen" to "No sabo kids" and beyond. As the English language grows ever more diverse, Kiaer believes we need a paradigm shift. We must acknowledge that all varieties of English are languages in their own right when they are used by a community of speakers. English is a language that belongs to everyone.

Considering the effects of social media, the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual work, globalization, and artificial intelligence, Kiaer paints a compelling portrait of a diffuse, rapidly evolving language characterized by creativity and democratization.