A History of the English Language

Front Cover
John Benjamins Publishing, Jan 1, 2006 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 334 pages
This exceptionally clear text focuses on internal changes in the English language. It outlines the history of English from pre-Old English times to the present. Not only does it present the traditional morphological descriptions of the various stages of the language, it provides many example sentences, texts, and cartoons that are analyzed for the benefit of the student and which make this book ideal for class use. Some language-external topics are covered such as early printing and authorship debates. Tables and figures complement the material covered and exercises review the main points as well as ask further, more challenging, questions. Answers to the exercises are provided, as is a time line listing some of the external events, and some guidance on how to use the OED. Complementary web site information is provided throughout the book, and a companion web site accompanies the book.
This book has a companion website: www.historyofenglish.net
 

Contents

1 The English Language
1
2 English Spelling Soundsand Grammar
13
3 Before Old English
29
4 Old English
47
5 From Old to Middle English
91
6 Middle English
111
7 Early Modern English
155
8 Modern English
203
9 English around the World
249
10 Conclusion
281
Appendices
293
References
319
Index
331
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