The History of English: A Linguistic Introduction is for anyone interested in the history of the English language. While leading the reader through the pre-history of English, through Germanic times, Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Modern English, the book also introduces the reader to concepts in theoretical and historical linguistics. It includes authentic texts from each period of the language, from Beowulf to the King James Bible. This book is a great introduction to the field of linguistics for anyone interested in language!
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From the Author
This book provides you with an introduction to the history of the English language, and along the way, it teaches you the necessary concepts of both theoretical as well as historical linguistics. The book assumes no prior knowledge of linguistics--you learn as you read! This book was the culmination of a lifelong journey for me. After having read Mario Pei's (very accessible) books on language as a young teenager, I knew that one day, I would carry on his tradition of writing books about language and linguistics for anyone interested in language. So many books on the history of our language assume that the reader is already a student of linguistics. This book is different. I would venture to say it's the only one of its kind on the market today.
Germanic linguistics, and especially the history of the English language, have been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I hope to continue to publish more books on these topics for linguists and non-linguists alike.
From the Back Cover
HWÆT ǷE GARDENA in gear-dagum
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon
The text above is the beginning of the epic poem, Beowulf, one of the earliest works in English literature. Yes, the words above are English, Old English, to be exact. It is English as it was spoken in the first millennium of our era. As you can see, it is quite different from the English you speak today.
In The History of English: A Linguistic Introduction, you will learn about the history of English from prehistoric times, before the advent of writing, to its Germanic ancestry, the conquest of Britain, its flowering in the Middle Ages, and its status today as an international language. While learning about its history, you will be introduced to various topics in historical and theoretical linguistics. You will learn about aspects of the grammar of the various stages of the language, and you will be introduced to authentic texts from each period.
The History of English is for everyone interested in learning more about the history of the language and for those who would like a first introduction to the study of language, linguistics.
Scott Shay is a linguist and author of books on Germanic linguistics. He received a Master of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Germanic linguistics.
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More About the Author
Scott Shay is a linguist and author of books on Germanic linguistics. Growing up in the Pennsylvania Dutch country sparked his interest in language and linguistics, especially of the Germanic languages. After spending several year studying in Germany, he received a Master of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Germanic linguistics. He is currently working on his PhD in the field. He is the author of two books, Middle High German Verbs (2006) and The History of English: A Linguistic Introduction (2008), and the iRef Quick Reference Guide: German Grammar for Kindle (2011).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Informative book, though it needs proofread,
By
This review is from: The History of English (Paperback)
I received Shay's book for Christmas, and I am finished with it already, two days later. Much of the information regarding the history of the English language was familiar to me, although I did learn a few interesting tidbits here and there. The area in which this book shines, however, is with the introduction to linguistics. Unlike many other books on the topic, which are written for the linguistic, Shay takes the time and effort to clarify linguistic terms as well as pronunciations, so that the lay person can easily understand the linguistic aspects of the text...if one is interested in pursuing linguistics (such as myself), this text seems like a good springboard with which to start.
My only problem is that there are dozens of typos and grammatical errors located within the text. I can understand that a typo may slip by the editor now and then, but there were times where words were repeated, and I found this to be annoying, especially since this book is about the English language. Overall, the information is good, and hopefully the author will correct his errors before the next version comes to print.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A clear and understandable English linguistic book,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The History of English (Paperback)
Many introductory English linguistic text books are either too complex or too thin. Mr. Shay demonstrates and educates the audience on the Germanic roots, old/middle/modern English, as well as the future of English language. This book is a gem.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
English as she is gesprokt,
By Bill M. (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The History of English (Paperback)
Lively history of the English language. Fascinating exposition of the relationship of English to the other Germanic languages. Enough linguistic details to keep scholars interested, but broad enough to appeal to the general interested reader.
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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past progressive, present progressive, strong verb conjugation, daughter languages, dental suffix, beautiful art thou, schwa sound, consonant shift Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old English, Modern English, Middle English, Old Norse, Old High German, Old Saxon, Old Low Franconian, Grimm's Law, Old Frisian, West Germanic, The Future of English, Modern German, Great Vowel Shift, Future English, Indicative Present Preterite, Norman French, British English, Lord's Prayer, United States, Indicative Subjunctive Present Preterite Present Preterite, High German Consonant Shift, East Germanic, Modern Dutch, West Saxon, Norman Conquest Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
past progressive, present progressive, strong verb conjugation, daughter languages, dental suffix, beautiful art thou, schwa sound, consonant shift Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old English, Modern English, Middle English, Old Norse, Old High German, Old Saxon, Old Low Franconian, Grimm's Law, Old Frisian, West Germanic, The Future of English, Modern German, Great Vowel Shift, Future English, Indicative Present Preterite, Norman French, British English, Lord's Prayer, United States, Indicative Subjunctive Present Preterite Present Preterite, High German Consonant Shift, East Germanic, Modern Dutch, West Saxon, Norman Conquest Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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