The English language in its complex shapes and forms changes fast. This thoroughly revised edition on the history of English has been refreshed with current examples of change and has been updated to include archeological research. Most suggestions brought up by users and reviewers have been incorporated, for instance, there is more on the origin of Chancery English, a family tree for Germanic has been added, and Celtic influence is highlighted more. Internal and external change is discussed in much greater detail and the stress shift is offered as a possible reason for the change from synthetic to analytic. The philosophy of the revised book remains the same with an emphasis on the linguistic history and on using authentic texts. The core audience remains undergraduates (and beginning graduates). The goals of the class and the book are to come to recognize English from various time periods, to be able to read each stage with a glossary, to get an understanding of typical language change, internal and external, and to understand something about language typology through the emphasis on the change from synthetic to analytic. This book has a companion website: www.

historyofenglish.net.