The story of English
By: Robert McCrum, Willam Cran, Robert MacNeil.
Contributors: Cran, William.; MacNeil, Robert, 1931-
Edition: 3rd rev. ed.
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 2003
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 468
Subjects: English language -- History
Description: "Written for general readers, The Story of English presents a stimulating and comprehensive record of spoken and written English - from its Anglo-Saxon origins some two thousand years ago to the present day, when English is the dominant language of commerce and culture with more than one billion English speakers around the world.

From Cockney, Scouse, and Scots to Gulla, Singlish, Franglais, and the latest African American slang, this sweeping history of the English language is the essential introduction for anyone who wants to know more about our common tongue."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [437]-438) and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: List of Maps ix; title: New Introduction to the Third Edition xi; title: Introduction: Speaking of English i; title: 1 An English-Speaking World 9; title: 2 The Mother Tongue 46; title: 3 A Muse of Fire 90; title: 4 The Guid Scots Tongue 130; title: 5 The Loaded Weapon 170; title: 6 Black on White zo9; title: 7 Pioneers! 0 Pioneers! 251; title: 8 The Echoes of an English Voice 293; title: 9 The New Englishes 337; title: 10 Next Year's Words 375; title: Notes and Sources 395; title: Select Bibliography 437; title: Acknowledgements 439; title: Index 441.