A History of the English Language - Hardcover

For courses in the History of the English Language (English Composition). 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. Students are encouraged to develop both an understanding of present-day English and an enlightened attitude toward questions affecting the language today.

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.

Features in the New Edition include:

• 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

The traditional strengths of the text remain, including:

• 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