¿Por qué : 101 questions about Spanish Machine generated contents note: Detailed Table of Contents List of tables List of illustrations Acknowledgements Copyright Acknowledgements Preface Part I: Spanish in Context 1. Spanish Today 2. From Latin to Spanish 3. Spanish and Romance 4. Spanish and other languages 5. Learning Spanish Part II: Inside Spanish 6. Vocabulary 7. The written language 8. The sounds of Spanish 9. Names nouns and pronouns 10. Where the action is: Spanish verbs 11. Building sentences: The syntax of Spanish References Index ¿Por qué 101 Questions about Spanish is for anyone who wants to understand how Spanish really works. Standard textbooks and grammars describe the what of Spanish its vocabulary grammar spelling and pronunciation but ¿Por qué explains the why . Judy Hochberg draws on linguistic principles Hispanic culture and language history to answer questions such as: Why are so many Spanish verbs irregular Why does Spanish have different ways to say you  Why is h silent Why doesnt Spanish use apostrophes Why does Castilian Spanish have the th sound Packed with information guidance and links to further research ¿Por qué is an accessible study guide that is suitable for Spanish students instructors native speakers and the general reader. It is a valuable supplementary text for serious student of Spanish at all levels from beginning to advanced. ¿Por qué also covers topics usually left to specialized books including the evolution of Spanish how children and adults learn Spanish and the status of languages that co exist with Spanish from Catalan to Spanish sign language to the indigenous languages of Latin America.