Key features of this best-selling textbook include: coverage of the major historical, linguistic, and sociopolitical developments in the English language from the start of the seventeenth century to the present day; exploration of the current debates in global Englishes, relating to its uses as a post-colonial language in Asia and Africa, a mother tongue in the US, UK and Antipodes, and lingua franca across the globe, with a strong emphasis on China; new material on Latin America, English as a lingua franca, and English medium instruction.