See also functions of language, language change, language variety, structuralist model of language A study of this history is beyond the scope of this book but is considered to some extent under the entries shown above. The books listed below will help...

English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers and Roman auxiliary troops from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the Northern Netherlands. Initially, Old...

INVENTING ENGLISH A Portable History of the Language By Seth Lerer Columbia. 305 pp. $24.95You've seen the movie, now read the book! Words like these have long been emblazoned across the paperback covers of newly reissued classics or the novelizations of...

WEAVING TOGETHER WORDS: A NEW HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Inventing English: A Portable History of the Language. By Seth Lerer. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007. Pp 305. $24.95. Be less like a bookmoth and more like a cow, Seth Lerer advises...

The signs are there. Maybe it's too early, but I'd suggest we're on the verge of a new aesthetic dispensation, a tendency I'd call "The Return of the Singular." That's what I'm calling it, anyway. And, no, not just the "single" as in popular songs,...

Very few Americans have probably stopped to think about the origins of the English language. The history of our language consists of three main periods -- Old English, also referred to as Anglo-Saxon; Middle English; and Modern English, which continues to grow and evolve today. Studying these three periods enables one to gain a better understanding of how English evolved into the widely spoken and written language that it is today.

Describes the origins of the English language. Examines the value of learning English. Discusses its world influence.