The History of the English Language, Vol. 5: English in Britain and Overseas: Origins and Development

Volume 5 of The History of the English Language looks at the dialects of England since 1776, the historical development of English in the former Celtic-speaking countries of Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and at varieties of English in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Caribbean and South Asia. This unique volume will be welcomed by all those interested in the spread of English around the world.

This volume deals with the history of the English language from 1776 to the present day. An extensive introduction details the changing socio-historical setting in which English has developed in response to a continuing background of diversity as it was transplanted to North America and beyond. Separate chapters on pronunciation, syntax, and vocabulary chronicle the core linguistic features of the language during this period. In addition, there are chapters on English as a literary language, English grammar and usage, and place names. A separate volume on North American English is in preparation.

This volume of the  History of the English Language encompasses three centuries of immense cultural change, from Caxton in the late Middle Ages to the American Declaration of Independence and the beginnings of Romanticism. During this period, Middle English became Early Modern English and then developed into the early stages of indisputably "modern" English. This book traces developments in orthography and punctuation, phonology and morphology, syntax, lexis and semantics, regional and social variation, and the literary language.

The History of the English Language, Vol. 2: 1066-1476

 

Volume II deals with the Middle English period, approximately 1066-1476, and describes and analyzes developments in the language from the Norman Conquest to the introduction of printing. This period witnessed important features such as the assimilation of French and the emergence of a standard variety of English. Chapters about phonology and morphology, syntax, dialectology, lexis and semantics, literary language, and onomastics. 

The History of the English Language is the 1st multi-volume work to provide a full and authoritative account of the history of English. This volume deals with the history of English up to the Norman conquest. Each chapter gives a chronologically-oriented presentation of the data, surveys scholarship in the area and takes full account of the impact of developing and current linguistic theory on the interpretation of the data. The chapters have been written so as to be accessible both to specialists and nonspecialists, and have been carefully edited by Profesor Hogg to create an integrated approach.