The English Language

This short survey describes how English grew from a set of early medieval dialects into a world language. Burchfield follows sounds, grammar, and vocabulary from Old and Middle English through printing, the Bible, and later standard written forms, then turns to modern usage, American and other overseas varieties, and the pressures of slang, science, and social change. He treats literature as one force among many that fix or loosen the language. The book is a historical essay on English, not a dictionary and not a school grammar.

Bound in quarter dark red buckram with printed pale gold paper sides. Red slipcase. Deep red endpapers.