"This is an impressive collection of contributions, from acknowledged specialists in the field, to the study of language spread and its concomitant differentiation and variation. It is well-nigh comprehensive in coverage, dealing with all aspects of variation: historical, geographical, cultural and functional. It will surely be an essential reference point for scholars for some time to come"

Alan Maley, Visiting Professor, Leeds Metropolitan University

'... a fascinatingly varied collection... I would recommend it to all English teachers. As a wonderful window into the many historical, cultural and functional faces of English, this handbook will help improve their understanding of the phenomenon of World Englishes and English as the lingua franca, and help put their own teaching practices into a global communication context... it is a "time capsule", and will be widely referenced in the future as a source of information and understanding of the status of English in the "past".' - LINGUIST List

"The 39 chapters in this collection are noteworthy no only because of the wide range of subdisciplines treated, but also for the great number of authors from Africa and Asia."
- Manfred Gorlach, Anglia

"[The Handbook] represents a major contribution to the discipline which will be a valuable resource and reference work for readers from a wide range of backgrounds — including historical linguistics, dialectology, sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, applied linguistics and literary studies." English World-Wide