Product Description

This has long been considered the standard work on its subject. Now in its fifth edition, it has been extensively revised to take into account recent developments in linguistic scholarship.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136774 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

From the Back Cover

Comprehensive and balanced, this classic exploration of the history of the English language combines internal linguistic history and external cultural history-from the Middle Ages to the present. This market-leading text encourages readers to develop both an understanding of present-day English and an enlightened attitude toward questions affecting the language today.

• A thoroughly revised and updated Chapter 1, English Present and Future, reflecting the latest trends and statistics of the last ten years
• A new section in Chapter 10, Gender Issues and Linguistic Change, providing a balanced and current perspective on an important social topic
• Thorough revision of Chapter 11, The English Language in America, with updated material on African American Vernacular English

• An emphasis on the political, social, and cultural forces that affect language
• The use of traditional phonetic notation to help pronunciation
• A map of American dialects and examples of twentieth-century vocabulary demonstrating differences in American English and comparisons of current English to earlier versions

Customer Reviews

Excellent text book
I borrowed this book from my university library, and I'd even consider buying it. It's a great companion to my lecture notes and reading pack. It contains a lot of information under relatively short, compact sections, making it pretty easy to read.

Title says it all
There's nothing I can say about this...It has all the history of the English Language.
The only reason I give it 3 stars it's because it's a bit dense and it takes a lot of effort to read it.
It could be more reader-friendly also.