The History of the English Language : A Sourcebook

A new edition of this comprehensive guide to the history of the English language. The book contains carefully chosen extracts to illustrate the development of English, looking particularly at the stylistic and dialectical variety of English. For the new edition Professor Burnley has expanded the introductory sections, added new selections and increased the number of illustrations. He has also included a new section covering newspaper advertisements from the 18th Century to the present. A popular guide which explores the development of English from Aelfric to Darwin.

This second edition of The History of the English Language- A Sourcebook provides a comprehensive and accessible guide to the origins and development of the English language. First published in 1992, the book contains over fifty illustrative passages, drawn from the oldest English to the twentieth century. The passages are contextualised by individual introductions and grouped into the traditional periods of Old English, Early Middle English, Later Middle English, Early Modern English and Modern English. These periods are connected by brief essays explaining the major linguistic developments associated with each period, to produce a continuous outline history.
For this new edition Professor Burnley has expanded the outline of linguistic features at each of the main chronological divisions and included more selections and illustrations. A new section has also been included to illustrate the language of advertising from the 18th century to the present. The book will be of general interest to all those interested in the origins and development of the English language, and in particular to students and teachers of the history of the English language at A-level and university.