A History of the English Language

by N.F. Blake

Book Overview

What is a history of the English language? To a native speaker, the answer to this question might seem obvious; the story, from beginning to end, of the language that we use every day. But a history of the English language raises the prickly question of what one means by English. Who speaks "true" English, and are these speakers British, American, Scottish, or Australian, or something else entirely? Is the history of English the history of a written...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814712924
• ISBN13: 9780814712924
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Not for the pseudo-intellectual

This is an excellent overview of the history of the English language. It is NOT a pop-linguistic, pseudo-educational book for those interested in easy-to-digest mini-facts. If you are interested in clear, lucid prose, an excellent diachronic examination of the changes that occurred in English (especially in the vowel system), combined with constant attention to extra-linguistic variables such as the effects of geography, religion, war, and (later) orthography, then this is an excellent buy. The book has no "agenda," as so-many books dealing with this topic do (i.e. it is neither pro-French nor pro-British). As for the "complex terminology" mentioned in another review, try using a dictionary (the terminology is NOT complex for anyone with even a modicum of linguisitic knowledge).