Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This is a really cool book all about language that I think you'll love. It's full of interesting facts and stories about words and phrases we use every day. What's great about this book is how it takes ordinary questions about language and turns them into exciting adventures. Jones tells us where words come from and how they've changed over time, which I found super interesting. Plus, he writes in a way that's easy to understand, so you won't get confused.

This book certainly does offer answers to most of the absurd questions we may have about the English language (and other languages). It starts with a history lesson as to where and how language first developed and asks why language has gender forms, vowels and consonants, the oddities of dots and squiggles for accents, as well as the order that our words go in (among many other chapters). This is a dense, informative book and not one that should be broached without a genuine interest in linguistics and historical facts. It is definitely interesting but not a light read.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Informative, endlessly fascinating and a must-read for anyone interested in language and linguistics. Wide-ranging in its approach, accessibly written, with something new to learn at every point along the way, I found the book a real joy. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves or is curious about language. The author asks and answers fascinating questions that I never thought to ask, like why is this a question? Why is the letter I capitalized? The book is a little dense but worth the effort.

Delves into some fascinating topics concerning language. Some chapters are easily read and answer questions people might have but never get around to google - why is the letter I capitalized? And why are the numbers 11 and 12 different from the "teen" numbers? Other chapters involve more scientific detail, discussing evolution and brain science that might be more tricky to follow. It's always interesting, though.

This was such a fascinating read and answered so many questions we've all wondered but never thought to as such as why do eleven and twelve not end in 'teen'. This is a book I will definitely return to in the future when I'm feeling curious.

In this intriguing and stimulating book, a kind of “linguistics for the layperson,” Paul Anthony Jones gives us a lively and accessible introduction to a field of study that is much broader than I would ever have guessed. Why is This a Question? is built around twenty questions and covers a wide variety of topics. Although Jones’s focus is mainly on English and the Proto-Indo-European language it sprang from, he considers much larger questions about what makes something a language in the first place. The author also contemplates theories about how language emerged among early humans, the anatomy involved in the production of speech (including vowels and consonants), how the alphabet we use came to be—among many other topics. Until reading this, I didn’t understand the degree to which linguistics draws on other disciplines such as anthropology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, computer science, and the health sciences. While I found some chapters more lively than others, I learned something new from each. I only wish diagrams (to clarify anatomy) and visuals (to illustrate the various kinds of medieval scripts Jones refers to, for example) had been included.
Rating: 3.5 rounded up.

I wanted to like this. It had all the constituent parts for someone interested in English literature and language but it just quickly got boring and too bogged down in specifics. Sorry, but this one isn’t for me.

By asking and answering questions about language that seem trivial, this book takes dives into much more than just language. It's focused mostly on English, but plenty of other languages come into play.

Unhappily the book is rather unfocused and not as well-written as it could be

Why Is This a Question? is a fun book for the inquisitive, those intrigued by language and words. The book is well-researched and interesting. If you've wondered why certain letters look a certain way or why a word is said a certain way, these are the kinds of questions explored. If you find the subject matter interesting, I wouldn't hesitate to check it out. Be sure to checkout Why Is This a Question? today.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

I find this area very interesting and I believe this book will not be for everyone as is such a niche topic.
I found the book to be amazing and some of the areas I know I will revisit.

Highly recommended

I love linguistics and the reasons behind why we speak the way we do and why words mean the things they mean. Why Is This a Question? by Paul Anthony Jones is a perfect primer for so many linguistic questions.

The earlier chapters are definitely more interesting than the later ones as the author starts to get into the weeds about history a bit too much for me. I did highlight a lot about compound words and stressed syllables which will be helpful when I end up in discussions about hyphens and how things should be pronounced when I proofread things.

I'm not sure if this book will be for everyone, if only because it is such a niche topic, but I do think it is worth skimming and learning something new about why English speakers communicate the way they do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for a chance to review this book.

I have a moderate interest in linguistics but am by no means an expert. I took one class in college as part of my English major and listen to the Lingthusiasm podcast (though much of it goes over my head), but I haven't really made a deep dive into the subject. This book hit just the right range of knowledge for someone like me. I usually had heard the opening anecdote or theory of the chapter, but then the author would go further into the subject with examples and extensions I hadn't heard before. This book reminded me of What If? by Randall Munroe (of xkcd fame), but for linguistics instead of science. From the difficulties of how to define a word or language to the vagaries of English spelling quirks, there's a little bit of every kind of linguistic knowledge to be found here. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on why languages have gender. It's a relevant issue to modern times and has more advantages than those of us in a non-gendered language would think.

I recommend this book to other writers and consumers of language who want to expand their knowledge a bit but aren't wanting a full scholarly take on the subject. It's also a helpful guide from the perspective of a speculative fiction writer looking to do some worldbuilding. I must have written down at least ten language quirks that I want to employ in future storytelling.

I received a copy of this book on NetGalley to review.

DNF @ 11%. While I was anticipating this read, I have been unable to get into it. I’m sure there’s a lot of interesting information contained in it but it’s reading too much like a textbook for me.

There are some quite interesting facts in here, but sadly the authors writing style makes them like digging for gems; you have to get past a whole load of rubbish stuff to find them. The authors style is very rambling, and the excessive use of long footnotes is distracting. The subject matter and some of the origins he’s traced are interesting, but it’s feels like listening to an elderly relative tell a story, such are the authors sideways ramblings before eventually getting back on topic

❓❓Why Is This a Question by Paul Anthony Jones ❓❓

The book every word lover has been waiting for! Perfect for fans of Susie Dent, etymology, dictionaries, history, sociology, anthropology and just language in general.

Paul Anthony Jones gives us a glimpse into the closed world of the English language - providing us with educational snippets such as how the letter M is the Egyptian hieroglyph of water, and discussing the similarities (and differences) of the multitude of languages across the world.

While this book is readable, the amount of information it provides is extremely detailed with many literary terms peppered throughout. Therefore, this is not a light or quick read.

But it is worth the journey as I have learned more than I ever did in an English class :)

Why Is This a Question? by Paul Anthony Jones explores the origins and oddities of language and how words operate.

Anyone interested in language and it's evolution would thoroughly enjoy this. So well written. The writer is engaging and conveys a sense of humour and a passion for language. I'm recommending it to my English teacher friends for sure!

‘’Before we began drawing lines and borders around ourselves, the concept of a national language simply did not exist.’’

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In University, I took a linguistic course as an elective. As a young naive, overwhelmed student, who was relentless in her search to get in to her PhD of choice, I skimmed the course, without taking in any of the content, simply cramming before an exam. I often reflect on the breadth of knowledge I overlooked in that course. This book more than made up for it. And I gave it my whole attention.

If you're at all interested in the quirks of language, then Why is This a Question? is a book you need to read. Paul Anthony Jones has collected together an armada of interesting questions about how our language works - and provides answers that are clear, concise and fascinating.

Jones starts by exploring why some letters look the way they do, before moving on to questions about why certain words are in certain orders, and how we understand language despite its seeming arbitrary nature. Each answer is thoroughly researched and explained in a way that's easy to understand, even if you don't have a background in linguistics.

I also really enjoyed the explorations of the French language and our rules being a French Canadian.

This is a Spectacular book that reads like all the best answers of the best threads of the ELI5 subreddit. Jones does an amazing job of breaking down complex topics in a way that's easy to understand, and he even sprinkles in a few witty observations along the way. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about how our language works - or just enjoys reading really interesting trivia tidbits. This book has left me with a newfound appreciation for the complexities and quirks of our spoken and written languages.

Highly recommend for any geeks out there!

I am so thankful for being granted an arc of Why Is This A Question? but I feel I am not smart enough to write a review worthy of just how good this book is. I know this sounds bad, but I learned SO MUCH from reading this book that I actually felt dumb while reading it as there were so many thoughts and concepts explored in this book that I NEVER once contemplated and I am almost 40 years old. Why did I never think of this things?!

Language is a funny thing in that it's just (or rather WAS) something that I just didn't think about. It was just something that I use every single day of my life without a second thought behind where it came from, why it sounds the way it does, why words look the way they do, etc.. The more I read this book the more questions I had! And this is a good thing!

Why Is This A Question? was such a compulsive read and I'm sitting here just thinking about how I have been living my entire life taking language for granted without knowing or caring about the significance and history of it. I have a brand new and utter fascination for language and am going to be re-reading this soon as this is a book that was bit overwhelming to take in (for me, personally), and I want to really get an in-depth grasp on everything I just read. This book does not feel like reading a textbook or like you're just having info dumped down your throat. It was a highly enjoyable read that constantly had me pausing and putting the book down and audibly saying "WOW" or "Why did I never think of this/that?"

Paul Anthony Jones did his homework and it shows. He knows SO MUCH about things that I never gave a single thought to but now can't stop thinking about. This is in my top 5 arcs that I have received this year and will be recommending to my friends and family. I also will absolutely be adding this to my library when the hard copy version is released.

5 out of 5 stars. Perfection. Thank you for making me a smarter, more well-informed individual who is now more intellectually curious about the things I once considered mundane. LOVED THIS..