History of Early English

Keith Johnson is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Language Education in the Department of Linguistics and English Language, University of Lancaster

"Johnson’s History of Early English does not disappoint. He has the knack of presenting difficult material in a refreshingly digestible and interactive style which links up the ancient-and-long-ago to today, and all of that is done without compromising on detail: he includes topics that are abuzz in the research world of the history of English."Peter Tan, National University of Singapore"Johnson’s account of the story of Old English is a remarkable achievement. It brings clarity, warmth and humour to a potentially dry topic, and provides a fascinating guide to the evolution of the English language from its beginnings until the end of the 17th century. The activities are integral to the book’s success, drawing the reader into the text while at the same time stimulating discussion and exploration beyond the text. The book will be an invaluable resource and a thoroughly enjoyable read for students of linguistics and lovers of language around the world."Stephen Andrews, The University of Hong Kong

• PART A. PRELIMINARIES AND ANCESTRIES1. HISTORY, AND HISTORICAL CHANGE2 LANGUAGES AND THEIR DAUGHTERSPART B. OLD ENGLISH3 OLD ENGLISH: A FIRST LOOK4 OE WRITING, PRONUNCIATION, AND A DEVIL OF A MOUTHFUL 5. THE OLD ENGLISH WORD-HOARD6 OE GRAMMAR: A ‘JUNGLE OF ENDINGS’7. OE LITERATURE: ‘A SYZYGY OF DIPODIC HEMISTICHS’ PART C. MIDDLE ENGLISH8. LO, ENGLAND INTO NORMANDY’S HAND9. ‘THE ENGLISH TONGUE . . . HONOURABLY ENLARGED AND ADORNED’: ME WORDS AND PRAGMATICS10. ‘LIGHTER . . . THAN THE OLD AND ANCIENT ENGLISH’11. ME LITERATURE: INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE ‘FIELD FULL OF FOLK’PART D. INTERLUDE12. A SHORT INTERLUDE ABOUT LONG VOWELS: THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFTPART E. EARLY MODERN ENGLISH13. ‘MANIE MATTERS OF SINGULAR DISCOURSE’: SOME ENGLISH RENAISSANCE HISTORY14 ‘WRYTING TREU’ AND ‘SOUNDYING CLEARE’: EModE GRAPHOLOGY, SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION15 TURNING WATER INTO WINE: RENAISSANCE WORDS16 ‘TRUE AND WELL-SPEAKING A LANGUAGE’: RENAISSANCE GRAMMAR 17. ‘I THOU THEE, THOU TRAITOR’: SOME RENAISSANCE PRAGMATICS18 ‘WELL TURNED, AND TRUE FILED LINES’: RENAISSANCE LITERATURE19. ‘A SETTLED, CERTAIN AND CORRECTED LANGUAGE’: THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY