The Origins and Development of the English Language

Abstract

Language and Languages: An Introduction. The Sounds of Current English. Letters and Sounds: A Brief History of Writing. The Backgrounds of English. The Old English Period (449. 1100). The Middle English Period (1100. 1500). The Modern English Period to 1800: Forms and Syntax. Recent British and American English. Words and Meanings. New Words from Old. Foreign Elements in the English Word Stock.