This book explores the theme of language usage in its widest sense--usage as what we say or write; usage as a social question; usage as a literary convention; usage and creativity. Walter Nash reflects on the world and the demands it makes on its academic disciplines. The argument develops from the notion of Standard English and the individual user, through technical questions of usage, to considerations of composition and literary creativity, with a concluding chapter on English as a world language. Nash argues that the study of usage transcends both the “prescriptive” and “descriptive” and is ultimately “constructive”, displaying the resources of language and exploring their use. This book should be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates and academics.


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