¿Por Qué? 101 Questions about Spanish - by Judy Hochberg (Paperback)

About the Book

" ÅPor quâe? 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 ÅPor quâe? explains the "why." Judy Hochberg draws on linguistic principles, Hispanic culture, and language history to answer questions such as: Why 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, ÅPor quâe? 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 student of Spanish at all levels, from beginning to advanced. ÅPor quâe? 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. "--

Book Synopsis

¿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 as:

Why 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.

Review Quotes

"Judy Hochberg's delightful new book ¿Por qué? 101 Questions about Spanish ... is an engrossing and meticulously researched 326-page book that will be a joy to read for any Spanish linguistics teacher, general linguist, Spanish speaker, or any person curious about how language (and Spanish in particular) functions ... [A] book many will wish they could have read when they embarked on their adventure in language learning and teaching." - Hispania

About the Author

Judith Hochberg is a language instructor at Fordham University, USA. Her background has uniquely prepared her to write "Por Que?: 101 Questions About Spanish". She has a PhD in linguistics from Stanford University, has taught at University of Chicago and Northwestern University, and has travelled and studied in Spain, Mexico and South America.