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. Students are encouraged to develop both an understanding of present-day English and an enlightened attitude toward questions affecting the language today.

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A History of the English Language explores the linguistic and cultural development of English from the Roman conquest of England to the present day to provide a comprehensive overview of the different aspects of its history. This best-selling classic textbook has been revised and updated and encourages the reader to develop both an understanding of present-day English and an enlightened attitude toward the issues affecting the language today.

New features of the sixth edition include:

• an additional chapter titled 'English in the Twenty-first Century', which examines the future of English and other global languages and includes an assessment of Chinese as a world language
• an in-depth treatment of phonological changes, such as the placement of the Great Vowel Shift as a bridge between Middle English and Renaissance English
• further coverage of corpus linguistics, especially for Renaissance English
• fresh sections on accent and register
• a new survey of the recent debate between "creolists" and "neo-Anglicists" on the origins of African American Vernacular English.

Balanced and wide-ranging, this textbook is a must-read for any student studying the history of the English language

"This classic has beeen thoroughly revised and updated. It has expanded its coverage of the history of English, and incorporates topics of new fields of research. The sixth edition will serve its readers well."- Peter Erdmann, Technische University, Berlin, Germany