This volume is the most current account of the social underpinnings of code-switching in the Phillipines.
- Edmundo Luna, University of California Santa Barbara, in Language 83(2), 2007,
Filipino English and Taglish successfully accomplishes that which its subtitle sets out to do: examine ''language switching from multiple perspectives.'' This multidimensional approach, which is crucial when investigating the many complex layers of language switching, is one of the merits of this book. The rich data and methodology include comparisons between urban and rural settings and analyses of historical texts, language-use questionnaires, various television programs and newspapers which incorporate sociocultural, sociolinguistic and linguistic theory. The book is written with great clarity and Thompson's writing style is not overly formal or technical which allows the reader to follow along easily. The development is orderly and logical, with each chapter and subsection clearly outlined in the table of contents. Since this is not a textbook, no audience is targeted specifically, but I think it would be appropriate for the general public or those at an undergraduate or early graduate level. Given that the language situation in the Philippines does not garner much attention it is a relatively unknown field to most and this book serves as a very comprehensive introduction.
- Emanuel A. da Silva, University of Toronto, on Linguist List, 15.1611, 2004,
The book is a welcome addition to the series Varieties of English around the world. The main themes and objectives of the book are set forth in the introduction (Chapter 1) and succinctly reviewed in an afterword. For readers and researchers interested in language switching, language planning and EFL issues, there is a wealth of well presented data and accessible interpretation without the needless creation of new terminology in this scholarly and yet entertaining book.
- Frank Smedley, Auckland University of Technology, in Journal of Sociolinguistics 8(4), 2004,