A Word-Lover's History of English

In A Word-Lover's History of English, Susie Dent and Rebecca Gowers examine the principal landmarks in the evolution of English, charting all of the major influences upon the language: its misty Celtic origins; the Dark-Age arrival of the Jutes, Angles and Saxons and the seismic linguistic shocks of the Viking invasions and Norman conquest. They look at the impact on the language of the growing trade from the East in the 13th and 14th centuries and the later impact of Britain's global empire; the influence of particular individuals on shaping English, including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson and even the rap-artists of the 21st century; as well as the emergence of a specifically American form of English. The authors' exploration of individual words also sheds light on modifications in grammar, and why they happened (and are still happening); pronunciation and spelling changes; and the potential new words of the future - taking a view on how English will develop in this century and beyond. Brilliantly entertaining and rigorously researched, A Word-Lover's History of English is the perfect gift for word and language buffs.