Like all living languages, English has gone through tremendous changes, perhaps the greatest in the years 1500-1800, as it continued its movement away from Middle English. It was during this time that scholars began to standardize the language and impose grammatical rules. This need to standardize was driven by the onslaught of printing technology, which produced increasingly greater quantities of printed books sought after by a growing number of literate adults. The rules, guidelines, and precedents set during this time continue to affect the way we speak and write today. The facsimiles preserved in the collection comprise a comprehensive and authoritative source of linguistic studies.
Titles reveal linguistic changes, demonstrating language evolution through the years.
An attempt to render the pronunciation of the English language more easy to foreigners. A pronouncing dictionary of the English language, . . . This collection is essential to those studying linguistics, the history of language, etymology, semantics, the history of education, rhetoric, and sociology. Comprehensive index on fiche. Includes introductory notes, author index, series index, subject guides, and a chronological list.