History of the English Language, A (5th Edition) (Hardcover)

~ Albert C. Baugh (Author), (Author)
Key Phrases: linguistic atlas, language change, word geography, Old English, Middle English, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A scholarly book that is a model of clarity and quite the best history of English obtainable in one volume. - The Irish Times

Comprehensive, readable, accessible. An excellent introductory textbook. - C. Mugglestone, Oxford University

Praise for the fourth edition: Baugh has been essential reading for our courses for several years. We will henceforward recommend Baugh and Cable 4th edition. - Malou Van Wijk, Autonoma University Barcelona --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

For courses in the History of the English Language (English Composition). 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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Product Details

• Hardcover: 447 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 5 edition (November 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130151661
• ISBN-13: 978-0130151667
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #240,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent History, April 23, 2006

By	Richard Webner (Evanston, IL, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A History of the English Language (Paperback)

I bought "A History of the English Language" looking for a dependable history of the English language that could be read by a beginner in Linguistics. In this book I found exactly what I wanted.

"A History" presents English's long, complicated development in a fascinating and accessible way. Although the text is dense and somewhat slow, it is never boring. The writers are clearly very passionate about the subject, and although the book is fifty years old it is well-updated, including a new chapter on African-American English.

In fact, few books have taught me more than "A History." England's numerous migrations and occupations, by the Romans, the Normans, the Scandinavians, and the French, shaped the language, so I learned much about England's own history. I found the first chapter, about the Indo-European language and its influence, especially edifying. "A History" also briefs you on the European intellectual movements that influenced English. In explaining English's development, Baugh and Cable acquaint the reader with many linguistic terms and theories.

This readable, informative, comprehensive history of English is highly recommended.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Interesting Book!, July 2, 2006

By	Nick (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the English Language (Paperback)

For anyone interested in the English language, and anyone curious about it, I strongly recommend this major book. Of course, get the latest edition, mine is the fifth, that is the 2002 edition.

As to the book itself, it's a most complete study of English. It does a wonderful job of explaining the development in history of the language and it willl undoubtedly shed so much light on your understanding of English that it's really worth a peek. That book will make clear most of the strangeness of English; if you ever wondered about "irregular" verbs--as most non-native do--you will find the answer in this book. And there's more than just English alone, the book also deals with Indo-European and tells a lot about tons of other things that make the whole thing--the development of languages--much clearer to the reader.

That is the book most used by universities as far as the history of English is concerned. You don't need to be a specialised linguist to read it, by the way; even though, due to the extreme preciseness of the work, you may not remember most of the details put in there. I'm thinking mostly of historical details and such, but that shouldn't worry you, just know it's very well documented.

The book is divided into sections, most of which are chronologically placed, although not all; there's for instance a section about English in America.

That's about it for my review of this great book. The best thing you can do is check it for yourself, but I strongly recommend it. Even if you have no specific interest in linguistics and stuff, you'll still get a lot of enjoyement from reading this book, if only because you speak English. It's gonna be a hoot for you I assure. Go for it!

36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Comprehensive Read, June 7, 2001

By	B. R. Cook (Buffalo Grove, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: History of the English Language, A (Hardcover)

I,like another reviewer, read this book over 20 years ago for a college class when I was a major in Linguistics. I was so enthralled with it, that it still graces my library shelves today. The cultural and social impact which brought change and foreign languages into English was just fascinating and very well written. I highly recommend this book.