¿Por qué? 101 Questions About Spanish

by Judy Hochberg

¿Por qué? 101 Questions about Spanish is for anyone who wants to understand how Spanish really works. Standard textbooks and grammars describe the "what" of Spanish - its vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and pronunciation - but ¿Por qué? explains the "why".Judy Hochberg draws on linguistic principles, Hispanic culture, and language history to answer questions such are so many Spanish verbs irregular? - Why does Spanish have different ways to say "you"? - Why is h silent? - Why doesn't Spanish use apostrophes? - Why does Castilian Spanish have the th sound?Packed with information, guidance, and links to further research, ¿Por qué? is an accessible study guide that is suitable for Spanish students, instructors, native speakers, and the general reader. It is a valuable supplementary text for serious students of Spanish at all levels, from beginning to advanced. ¿Por qué? also covers topics usually left to specialized books, including the evolution of Spanish, how children and adults learn Spanish, and the status of languages that co-exist with Spanish, from Catalan to Spanish sign language to the indigenous languages of Latin America.

Genres: Spanish Literature, Nonfiction

512 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2016

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. As a colleague of mine said, Hochberg answers questions that I didn't even know I needed the answers to! A great historical overview of the evolution of Spanish from its beginnings on the Iberian Peninsula to the world language it is today, with informative sidebars and plenty of visuals, charts, and graphs. Not for the linguistic faint of heart, however. A knowledge of phonetics and the physiology/anatomy behind sound production was helpful in some of the more technical explanations.

[Craig Coats]

Liked it. I'm a slow-but-steady Spanish learner. Books like this are a nice break when you get tired of the normal things you do every day when learning a language. More of a general book 'about' Spanish.