Evolving English : one language, many voices : an illustrated history of the English language / David Crystal.

By:

Crystal, David, 1941-

Publication details: London : British Library 2010.Description: 159 p. : col. ill. ; 29 cmISBN:

9780712350990 (hbk.)
0712350993
9780712350983 (pbk.)
0712350985

Other title:

Illustrated history of the English language

Subject(s):

LOC classification:

PE1075 .C789 2010

Summary: Summary: English is spoken or written today by a third of the world's population - an unprecedented achievement for a language. How has this situation come about? And what happens to a language when it is used by so many? In this illustrated history David Crystal charts the development of the language from the earliest runic inscriptions in old English, through the emergence of a standard variety of English between 1400 and 1800, to the most modern forms of the language in 'concrete' and 'text' poetry. In telling the story he draws on examples from English in its various guises and uses from our everyday English to English in the workplace and English used as a medium of playful and literary expression. The regional and international varieties of English are also considered. This book shows us where language is now, where it has been, and perhaps most important of all where it is heading, for the new varieties of the language appearing in world literature and on the Internet show that this is a story which is by no means over.

Holdings ( 1 )
Title notes ( 2 )

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Shelving location	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Book	NMC Library	Stacks	PE1075 .C789 2010 (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		33039001185171

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Previous			No cover image available					Next
Previous	PE1074.75 .B37 1986 Grammar and gender /	PE1075 .B265 1993 The English language : a historical introduction /	PE1075 .B5 A linguistic introduction to the history of English	PE1075 .C789 2010 Evolving English : one language, many voices : an illustrated history of the English language /	PE1075 .L47 2007 Inventing English : a portable history of the language /	PE1075 .M58 2003 The story of English /	PE1075 .O97 2006 The Oxford history of English /	Next

Includes bibliographical references (p. 157) and index.

Summary: English is spoken or written today by a third of the world's population - an unprecedented achievement for a language. How has this situation come about? And what happens to a language when it is used by so many? In this illustrated history David Crystal charts the development of the language from the earliest runic inscriptions in old English, through the emergence of a standard variety of English between 1400 and 1800, to the most modern forms of the language in 'concrete' and 'text' poetry. In telling the story he draws on examples from English in its various guises and uses from our everyday English to English in the workplace and English used as a medium of playful and literary expression. The regional and international varieties of English are also considered. This book shows us where language is now, where it has been, and perhaps most important of all where it is heading, for the new varieties of the language appearing in world literature and on the Internet show that this is a story which is by no means over.