"Tony Crowley challenges received notions, revisits familiar materials, and considers previously little-known evidence in order to present this history of the language, culture, and social and political history of Ireland from the time of the reign of Henry VIII to the present day."
"Wars of Words is the first comprehensive survey of the politics of language in Ireland during the colonial and post-colonial periods. Challenging received notions, Tony Crowley presents a complex, fascinating, and often surprising history which has suffered greatly in the past from over-simplification. Beginning with Henry VIII's Act for English Order, Habit, and Language (1537) and ending with the Republic of Ireland's Official Languages Act (2003) andthe introduction of language rights under the legislation proposed by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (2004), this clear and acces."
"'Wars of Words' is a comprehensive survey of the politics of language in Ireland in the colonial and post-colonial period. Covering diverse topics such as the Tudor proscription of Irish to contemporary legislation on the rights of language users, this text argues for a common understanding of the language in social and political history."