History of English

Abstract

Part 1: An External History of English 1. Origins of English 2. The History of English or the History of Englishes? 3. Language Contact in the Middle Ages 4. From Middle English to Early Modern English 5. The Process of Standardisation 6. Colonialism, Imperialism and the Spread of English 7. Moves Towards Present Day English 8. Global English and Beyond Part 2: A Developing Language 1. Understanding Old English 2. Varieties of Old English 3. The Emergence of Middle English 4. Sound Shifts 5. Writing in Early Modern English 6. The Development of American English 7. International English 8. The Globalisation of English Part 3: Exploring the History of English 1. The Roots of English 2. Regions and Dialects 3. From Old English to Middle English 4. Codification and Attitudes Towards English 5. Further Elements of Grammar in Early Modern English 6. English in the New World 7. Present Day Englishes 8. The Future of English? Part 4: Readings in the History of English 1. Vocabulary in Old English 2. Old English Dialects 3. The Influence of French 4. Changes in Pronunciation 5. 'Fixing' the Language 6. American English 7. A Corpus Approach to Linguistic Development 8. Predicting the Future. Further Reading. References