Description
Book SynopsisWritten by one of the foremost authorities on the English language, this book offers a fascinating look at the history of English, focusing on its early development and subsequent spread around the world. Engaging and accessible, it is ideal reading for anyone interested in the history of the English Language.
Trade Review'Here is an original and eminently enjoyable book detailing the origins of our language and the millennia-long geographical spread of earlier stages of what was to become English in all its varieties.' Robert Fulks, Professor Emeritus of English, Indiana University
'Peter Trudgill's account of the geographical journey of the English language is highly educational, truly captivating, and uniquely sensitive to what has been lost along the way.' Erik Smitterberg, Professor of English Linguistics, Uppsala University
'This book is a real page turner. Some people find readings about the History of the English Language boring. This is not going to happen with this book - Peter Trudgill marries a thrilling exploration of geographical expansion and retreat with a masterful investigation of the linguistic facts. Food for thought!' Benedikt Szmrecsanyi, Professor of Linguistics, KU Leuven
Table of ContentsPrologue: a view from the birthplace; 1. Where it all started: the language which became English; 2. The journey begins: the first movement south; 3. Interlude: a view from the Celtic island; 4. Heading west again: the North Sea crossing 400–600; 5. Anglo-Saxons and Celts in the English highlands 600–800; 6. And further west: across the Irish Sea 800–1200; 7. Atlantic crossing: on to the Americas 1600–1800; 8. Onwards to the Pacific shore; 9. Across the Equator: into the Southern Hemisphere 1800–1900; 10. Some turning back: English in retreat; 11. Meanwhile… Britain and the British Isles from 1600; 12. Transcultural diffusion: the New Native Englishes; Epilogue: sixteen hundred years on.
