In Highly Irregular, Arika Okrent answers questions about the most puzzling parts of the English language. Along the way she tells the story of the many influences-from invading French armies to stubborn Flemish printers-that made our language the way it is today. Both an entertaining send-up of linguistic oddities and a deeply researched history of English, Highly Irregular is essential reading for anyone who has paused to wonder about our marvelous mess of a language.