The Stories of English

by David Crystal (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2004

  $4.54

  There have been many histories of the English language but, strangely, none has attempted to tell the true global story of English: for there are in fact many English languages and each has a story. David Crystal here presents the reader with not only the authoritative history of standard English, but also narrates the stories of the dialects of English, showing how they influenced the development of standard English. There are numerous panels describing word histories and looking in detail at specific idiosyncracies of the language along the way. The definitive account.

• Used

  Paperback
  2005

  $4.62

  When and why did 'thou' disappear from Standard English? Would a Victorian Cockney have said 'observation' or 'hobservation'? Was Jane Austen making a mistake when she wrote 'Jenny and James are walked to Charmonth this afternoon'? This superbly well-informed - and also wonderfully entertaining - history of the English language answers all these questions, showing how the many strands of English (Standard English, dialect and slang among them) developed to create the richly-varied language of today.

• New

  Paperback
  2005

  $16.37

  When and why did 'thou' disappear from Standard English? Would a Victorian Cockney have said 'observation' or 'hobservation'? Was Jane Austen making a mistake when she wrote 'Jenny and James are walked to Charmonth this afternoon'? This superbly well-informed - and also wonderfully entertaining - history of the English language answers all these questions, showing how the many strands of English (Standard English, dialect and slang among them) developed to create the richly-varied language of today.