The English Language

The English Language surveys the development of the English language from its Indo-European origins to the present day.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables, Figures, and Sample Texts Acknowledgements Abbreviations Preface 1: Studying the History of English Overview Objectives Why Study the History of English? A Definition of Language The Components of Language Linguistic Change in English The Nature of Linguistic Change The Origin of Language Attitudes toward Linguistic Change Resources for Studying the History of English Recommended Web Links Further Reading Further Viewing 2: The Sounds and Writing of English Overview Objectives The Sounds of English The Writing of English Recommended Web Links Further Reading Further Viewing 3: Causes and Mechanisms of Language Change Overview Objective Causes of Change Mechanisms of Phonological Change Mechanisms of Morphological and Syntactic Change Mechanisms of Semantic Change Recommended Web Links Further Reading Further Viewing 4: The Indo-European Language Family and Proto-Indo-European Overview Objectives Classification of Languages Language Families The Indo-European Language Family Proto-Language Reconstruction Proto-Indo-European Nostratic Theory Recommended Web Links Further Reading Further Viewing 5: Germanic and the Development of Old English Overview Objectives Proto-Germanic Grammatical and Lexical Changes from PIE to Germanic Phonological Changes from PIE to Germanic A Brief History of Anglo-Saxon England The Records of the Anglo-Saxons Recommended Web Links Further Reading 6: The Words and Sounds of Old English Overview Objectives The Word Stock of the Anglo-Saxons The Orthographic System of Old English The Phonological System of Old English Stress A Closer Look at the Language of an Old English Text Recommended Web Links Further Reading 7: The Grammar of Old English Overview Objectives The Nominal System The Verbal System Syntax A Closer Look at the Language of an Old English Text Recommended Web Links Further Reading Further Viewing 8: The Rise of Middle English: Words and Sounds Overview Objectives French and English in Medieval England The Word Stock of Middle English The Written Records of Middle English Orthographic Changes Consonant Changes Vowel Changes A Closer Look at the Language of a Middle English Text Recommended Web Links Further Reading 9: The Grammar of Middle English and Rise of a Written Standard Overview Objectives The Effects of Vowel Reduction Grammatical Developments in Middle English A Closer Look at the Language of a Middle English Text Change from Synthetic to Analytic Middle English as a Creole? The Rise of a Standard Dialect A Closer Look at the Language of a Middle English Text Recommended Web Links Further Reading 10: The Words, Sounds, and Inflections of Early Modern English Overview Objectives Early Modern English Vocabulary The Great Vowel Shift Changes in the Short Vowels and Diphthongs A Closer Look at the Language of an Early Modern English Text Changes in Consonants Renaissance Respellings Changes in Nominal Inflected Forms Case Usage Changes in Verbal Inflected Forms A Closer Look at the Language of an Early Modern English Text Recommended Web Links Further Reading 11: Early Modern English Verbal Constructions and Eighteenth-Century Prescriptivism Overview Objectives Early Modern English Syntax The Rise of Prescriptivism Aims of the Eighteenth-Century Grammarians Methods of the Eighteenth-Century Grammarians The Question of Usage Dictionaries Recommended Web Links Further Reading Further Viewing 12: Modern English Overview Objectives Grammatical and Lexical Changes since Early Modern English Changes in Progress The Effect of the New Media on English Recommended Web Links Further Reading 13: Varieties of English Overview Objectives The Development of National Varieties Important Regional Varieties Recommended Web Links Further Reading Further Viewing Appendix A: Quick Reference Guide Appendix B: Timeline of Historical, Literary, and Linguistic Events in the History of English Exercise Key Glossary of Linguistic Terms References Index

About the Author :
Laurel J. Brinton, professor, University of British Columbia, specializes in English language studies and in the interface between language and literature. In addition to co-authoring The English Language: A Linguistic History, she is currently co-editing the two-volume Handbook of Historical English Linguistics (Mouton) and serves as an associate editor of the revision of the Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles. Leslie K. Arnovick, professor, University of British Columbia, published her first book, The Development of Future Constructions in English, in 1991. In addition to co-authoring The English Language: A Linguistic History, she has also written several monographs profiling medieval English.

Review :
"The book is well organized and clear . . . without assuming a lot of knowledge on the part of students." --Richard J. Moll, University of Western Ontario "Brinton and Arnovick's book is, I think, the best textbook in its field." --John Considine, University of Alberta