Using English(es) is a general reference guide to the varieties of present-day English in connection to geographic, social, and functional variation. It offers a succinct introduction to the metalanguage used in language variation studies. The book is divided into two main sections. The first section, “Introduction to the study of present-day English varieties,” summarizes the theoretical concepts in language variation. In “Preliminaries” (chapter 1), Albu discusses the motivations for this book. One major motivation was to provide a resource that examines language, here English, within broader parameters than those provided by normative rules. The subsequent six chapters in this first section, then, comprise themes in language variation studies and are grouped accordingly: “The ‘homogeneity within heterogeneity’ principle” (chapter 2), “Common issues in language variation studies” (3), “English as a world language or the least EFL should know about it” (4), “Some grammatical differences between Standard English and non-standard dialects” (5), “Social values of some phonological features” (6), and “The English language – whither now?” (7). All chapters (apart from “Preliminaries”) include a clarification of terms, classifications, references, and respective illustrations and/or examples. Explanations of why language varieties exist are primarily sociohistorical in nature.

The second section, “Terminological glossary,” consists of roughly 500 entries, including definitions as well as concise overviews of concepts found in sociolinguistics, dialectology, linguistic geography, and functional linguistics and stylistics. Although the glossary is considerably enlarged and modified, it is based on Albu’s An A-Z introduction to the study of present-day English (Iaşi: Ars Longa, 1998). Textual cues within the theoretical (first) section point the reader to entries explained in the glossary, thus establishing a useful, albeit loose, connection between the two sections in the book. The second section concludes with a compilation of maps representing dialect areas. The majority of the maps are reprinted from Success with words: A guide to the American language (Pleasantville, NY & Montreal: Reader’s Digest, 1983) and from Bailey & Görlach, English as a world language (University of Michigan Press, 1983).

Using English(es) provides a brief introduction to research in language variability and tackles questions related to geographical, social, and functional variation. It is an appropriate source for linguists, students and teachers of English, in addition to interested lay people.