A feature of English that makes it different compared with all other languages is its global spread.

In effect we are, bending and breaking the rules of the language. And if someone were to ask why we do it, the answer is simply: for fun

Anyone interested in language ends up writing about the sociological issues around it.

The story of English spelling is the story of thousands of people - some well-known, most totally unknown - who left a permanent linguistic fingerprint on our orthography.

Although many texters enjoy breaking linguistic rules, they also know they need to be understood.

At any one time language is a kaleidoscope of styles, genres and dialects.

Several of us linguists at that time would record our own kids, just to get some data. There was some literature on it then, but no day-by-day, blow-by-blow examples. I recorded all my children over the years in some shape or form. It's what linguists do. You don't talk to a linguist without having what you say taken down and used in evidence against you at some point in time.