A History of the English Language explores the linguistic and cultural development of English from the Roman conquest of England to the present day to provide a comprehensive overview of the different aspects of its history. This best-selling classic textbook has been revised and updated and encourages the reader to develop both an understanding of present-day English and an enlightened attitude toward the issues affecting the language today.
New features of the sixth edition include:
- an additional chapter titled ‘English in the Twenty-first Century’, which examines the future of English and other global languages and includes an assessment of Chinese as a world language
- an in-depth treatment of phonological changes, such as the placement of the Great Vowel Shift as a bridge between Middle English and Renaissance English
- further coverage of corpus linguistics, especially for Renaissance English
- fresh sections on accent and register
- a new survey of the recent debate between "creolists" and "neo-Anglicists" on the origins of African American Vernacular English.
Balanced and wide-ranging, this textbook is a must-read for any student studying the history of the English language
A History of the English Language explores the linguistic and cultural development of English from the Roman conquest of England to the present day to provide a comprehensive overview of the different aspects of its history. This best-selling classic textbook has been revised and updated and encourages the reader to develop both an understanding of present-day English and an enlightened attitude toward the issues affecting the language today.
New features of the sixth edition include:
- an additional chapter titled ‘English in the Twenty-first Century’, which examines the future of English and other global languages and includes an assessment of Chinese as a world language
- an in-depth treatment of phonological changes, such as the placement of the Great Vowel Shift as a bridge between Middle English and Renaissance English
- further coverage of corpus linguistics, especially for Renaissance English
- fresh sections on accent and register
- a new survey of the recent debate between "creolists" and "neo-Anglicists" on the origins of African American Vernacular English.
Balanced and wide-ranging, this textbook is a must-read for any student studying the history of the English language

A History of the English Language
480
A History of the English Language
480Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780415655965 |
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Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Publication date: | 08/17/2012 |
Edition description: | New Edition |
Pages: | 480 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d) |