The English language
Subtitle: a historical introduction
By: Charles Barber.
Series: Cambridge approaches to linguistics
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 299
Subjects: English language -- History; Historical linguistics
Description: The English Language: A Historical Introduction covers the history of the English language from its remote Indo-European origins to the present day. It provides substantial information about the English language at different periods, and introduces the main theoretical and technical concepts of historical linguistics. Chapters on the nature of language and on language change are followed by a chronological survey, beginning in the Prehistoric age and working down from Anglo-Saxon times to the twentieth century. Topics covered include vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, semantics, attitudes to language, and English as a world language. Short passages of English are used to illustrate the state of the language in different periods and all over the world, in a range of contexts.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [283]-291) and index.