“An effective introduction to Spanish and an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the language’s history.”
— Praise for the first edition, Bulletin of Latin American Research
“El libro de Pharies cumple sobradamente con el propósito para el que se ha concebido: se trata, sin duda, de un sólido y bien escrito tratado introductorio a la historia de la lengua española, muy completo y accesible.”
— Praise for the first edition, Revista de Filología Española
"What separates Professor Pharies's book from others dealing with the history of Spanish is the approach hinted at in his title and explicitly mentioned in the preface by which, in essence, less is more. . . . A Brief History of the Spanish Language merits serious consideration by any instructor who teaches the history of Spanish."
— Praise for the first edition, Hispania
"Pharies’ A Brief History of the Spanish Language achieves exactly what its author appears to have set out to do, viz. present a wide-ranging, succinct and readable account of the history of Spanish. Better still, its attractive presentation, both stylistic and typographical, will provide encouragement to students who otherwise might regard Spanish diachronic linguistics as a rather arid affair."
— Praise for the first edition, Bulletin of Spanish Studies
"The second edition of A Brief History improves an already strong work in Spanish historical linguistics. As in the first edition, Pharies debunks—in an engaging manner—a number of 'linguistic myths' about Spanish orthography, pronunciation, and grammar."
— Choice