List of Tables, Figures, and Sample TextsAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsPreface1. Studying the History of EnglishOverviewObjectivesWhy Study the History of English?A Definition of LanguageThe Components of LanguageLinguistic Change in EnglishThe Nature of Linguistic ChangeThe Origin of LanguageAttitudes toward Linguistic ChangeResources for Studying the History of EnglishRecommended Web LinksFurther ReadingFurther Viewing2. The Sounds and Writing of EnglishOverviewObjectivesThe Sounds of EnglishThe Writing of EnglishRecommended Web LinksFurther ReadingFurther Viewing3. Causes and Mechanisms of Language ChangeOverviewObjectiveCauses of ChangeMechanisms of Phonological ChangeMechanisms of Morphological and Syntactic ChangeMechanisms of Semantic ChangeRecommended Web LinksFurther ReadingFurther Viewing4. The Indo-European Language Family and Proto-Indo-EuropeanOverviewObjectivesClassification of LanguagesLanguage FamiliesThe Indo-European Language FamilyProto-LanguageReconstructionProto-Indo-EuropeanNostratic TheoryRecommended Web LinksFurther ReadingFurther Viewing5. Germanic and the Development of Old EnglishOverviewObjectivesProto-GermanicGrammatical and Lexical Changes from PIE to GermanicPhonological Changes from PIE to GermanicA Brief History of Anglo-Saxon EnglandThe Records of the Anglo-SaxonsRecommended Web LinksFurther Reading6. The Words and Sounds of Old EnglishOverviewObjectivesThe Word Stock of the Anglo-SaxonsThe Orthographic System of Old EnglishThe Phonological System of Old EnglishStressA Closer Look at the Language of an Old English TextRecommended Web LinksFurther Reading7. The Grammar of Old EnglishOverviewObjectivesThe Nominal SystemThe Verbal SystemSyntaxA Closer Look at the Language of an Old English TextRecommended Web LinksFurther ReadingFurther Viewing8.

The Rise of Middle English: Words and SoundsOverviewObjectivesFrench and English in Medieval EnglandThe Word Stock of Middle EnglishThe Written Records of Middle EnglishOrthographic ChangesConsonant ChangesVowel ChangesA Closer Look at the Language of a Middle English TextRecommended Web LinksFurther Reading9. The Grammar of Middle English and Rise of a Written StandardOverviewObjectivesThe Effects of Vowel ReductionGrammatical Developments in Middle EnglishA Closer Look at the Language of a Middle English TextChange from Synthetic to AnalyticMiddle English as a Creole?The Rise of a Standard DialectA Closer Look at the Language of a Middle English TextRecommended Web LinksFurther Reading10. The Words, Sounds, and Inflections of Early Modern EnglishOverviewObjectivesEarly Modern English VocabularyThe Great Vowel ShiftChanges in the Short Vowels and DiphthongsA Closer Look at the Language of an Early Modern English TextChanges in ConsonantsRenaissance RespellingsChanges in Nominal Inflected FormsCase UsageChanges in Verbal Inflected FormsA Closer Look at the Language of an Early Modern English TextRecommended Web LinksFurther Reading11. Early Modern English Verbal Constructions and Eighteenth-Century PrescriptivismOverviewObjectivesEarly Modern English SyntaxThe Rise of PrescriptivismAims of the Eighteenth-Century GrammariansMethods of the Eighteenth-Century GrammariansThe Question of UsageDictionariesRecommended Web LinksFurther ReadingFurther Viewing12. Modern EnglishOverviewObjectivesGrammatical and Lexical Changes since Early Modern EnglishChanges in ProgressThe Effect of the New Media on EnglishRecommended Web LinksFurther Reading13. Varieties of EnglishOverviewObjectivesThe Development of National VarietiesImportant Regional VarietiesRecommended Web LinksFurther ReadingFurther ViewingAppendix A: Quick Reference GuideAppendix B: Timeline of Historical, Literary, and Linguistic Events in the History of EnglishExercise KeyGlossary of Linguistic TermsReferencesIndex.