A Biography of the English Language

Authors

C. M. Millward
Mary Hayes, University of MississippiFollow

Files

Description

The third edition of A BIOGRAPHY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE continues to examine the structure of English, from its Indo-European pre-history, through the invasions that shaped Old and Middle English, through its speakers' conscious efforts to police it in the Early Modern period, through its present-day transformations manifest in urban slang and text-messaging. The textbook explores three important issues: how languages and language change are systematic; how the inner history of a language is profoundly affected by its outer history of political and culural events; and how the English of the past has everywhere left its traces on present-day English. By uncovering the language's past, one can better use it to communicate as well as speculate about its future use in ever-changing globalized media.

ISBN

9780495906414

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Relational Format

book

Department

English

Publisher

Cengage Learning

Disciplines

Medieval Studies

Recommended Citation

Millward, C. M. and Hayes, Mary, "A Biography of the English Language" (2011). Liberal Arts Faculty Books. 184.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/libarts_book/184