Why Is This a Question?

Paul Anthony Jones

A fascinating exploration of the nuts and bolts of human language

Why don’t eleven and twelve end in –teen? The rest of our counting system sits in neatly arithmetical sets of ten, so why do these two rulebreakers seem so at odds with the numbers that follow?

Admittedly, that question might never have occurred to you. But if you’re even remotely interested in the origins and oddities of language, you’re probably now intrigued to know the answer. Nor is it the only question that might now spring to mind. Why do these letters look the way they do? Why are some uppercase and others lowercase? Why are these words in this order? How are you understanding what these seemingly arbitrary shapes and symbols mean? And what even is a question anyway?

Why Is This a Question? is a fascinating and enlightening exploration of linguistic questions you’ve likely never thought to ask.

Pub date: 2 November 2023

Price: £9.99

ISBN: 9781783967025 epub: 9781783966653

Genre: Language

Format: Paperback

Dimensions: 198x129 mm

Extent: 320 pages

Rights: World English

‘As entertaining as it is engrossing . . . this book will delight logophiles everywhere, and create many new ones.’ John

Banville

Paul Anthony Jones runs the popular @HaggardHawks, revealing daily word facts to 90,000 engaged followers. His books include: The Cabinet of Calm, Word Drops, The Accidental Dictionary, The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities, as well as several other books on trivia and language. He appears regularly in the media and has contributed to the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries online. He lives in Newcastle upon Tyne.