International Communication: A Reader Book

This book is something I would easily reread and highly recommend to anyone who enjoys etymology and the evolution of language. It is entirely about English but not just English. It is about how English is both the most widely spoken secondary language and changing into something very different from English. Abley attempts to answer the very interesting question of which language will replace English as the de facto language of the world with an equally interesting (but perhaps more complicated) answer: English, as spoken by those who acquire it as a secondary language; International English, if you will. He uses Singlish (Singapore English-check out Talking Cock), as his example, which is a slang which could possibly be compared to the phenomenon of African American Vernacular English. It has its own regularity of grammar and usage and is spoken by a vast majority of the population in Singapore. It's a compelling example and it is a topic, in general, that I would like to read more about (I expect to in my linguistic studies).
I really enjoyed this book. The writing is good, humourous and light. Fun and informative. Although when it comes to language I can read style manuals with relish!