A History of the English Language - Hardcover

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Comprehensive and balanced, this classic exploration of the history of the English language combines internal linguistic history and external cultural history-from the Middle Ages to the present. This market-leading text encourages readers to develop both an understanding of present-day English and an enlightened attitude toward questions affecting the language today.

• A thoroughly revised and updated Chapter 1, English Present and Future, reflecting the latest trends and statistics of the last ten years
• A new section in Chapter 10, Gender Issues and Linguistic Change, providing a balanced and current perspective on an important social topic
• Thorough revision of Chapter 11, The English Language in America, with updated material on African American Vernacular English

• An emphasis on the political, social, and cultural forces that affect language
• The use of traditional phonetic notation to help pronunciation
• A map of American dialects and examples of twentieth-century vocabulary demonstrating differences in American English and comparisons of current English to earlier versions