The English Language: A Linguistic History surveys the development of the English language from its Indo-European past to the present day. It covers the entire history of the English language beginning with its prehistoric origins in Proto-Indo-European and includes thorough coverage of its four major periods: Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Modern English. The third edition features enhanced discussion of the socio-historical and cultural contexts of the English language in the new "Language in Context" features in each chapter. Brief timelines of historical events also now appear at the beginning of relevant chapters, supplementing the comprehensive timeline (linguistic, literary, historical, and social) found in the appendices. Discussion of new approaches to the history of English, such as historical pragmatics and historical sociolinguistics, have been added or expanded along with new debates, such as the current work on the Proto-Indo-Europeans or the status of English as a global language or second language. A new appendix includes an anthology of specimen texts from the four major periods of English, chosen for their use of colloquial and non-literary language.

Autorentext

Laurel J. Brinton, Professor, Department of English, University of British Columbia, Leslie K. Arnovick, Professor, Department of English, University of British Columbia

Klappentext

The English Language: A Linguistic History surveys the development of the English language from its Indo-European past to the present day.

Inhalt

List of Tables, Figures, and Sample Texts
Preface
Abbreviations
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 Resources
2: Sounds and Sound Change in English
Overview
Objectives
The Sounds of English
Sound Change
The Writing of English
Recommended Resources
3: Causes and Mechanisms of Language Change
Overview
Objectives
Causes of Change
Morphological and Syntactic Change
Semantic Change
Pragmatic Change
Recommended Resources
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
Recommended Resources
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 Resources
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 Resources
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 Resources
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 Resources
9: The Grammar of Middle English and Rise of a Written Standard
Overview
Objectives
The Effects of Vowel Reduction
Comparison of a Middle English and an Old 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 Resources
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 Resources
11: Early Modern English Verbal Constructions and Eighteenth-Century Prescriptivism
Overview
Objectives
Early Modern English Syntax
Late Modern English and the Rise of Prescriptivism
Aims of the Eighteenth-Century Grammarians
Methods of the Eighteenth-Century Grammarians
The Question of Usage
Dictionaries
Recommended Resources
12: Modern English
Overview
Objectives
Grammatical and Lexical Changes in Late Modern English
Changes in Progress
The Effect of New Media on English
Recommended Resources
13: Varieties of English
Overview
Objectives
The Development of National Varieties
Important Regional Varieties of the British Isles
English as a Global Language
Recommended Resources
Appendix A: Quick Reference Guide
Appendix B: Timeline of Significant Historical, Social, Literary, and Linguistic Events in the History of English
Appendix C: Anthology of Readings
Exercise Key
Glossary of Linguistic Terms
Works Cited
Index