The Story of English

Summary:

Follow the extraordinary journey of the most widely spoken language in the world, discover its many influences and learn about how it has evolved.

From the Anglo-Saxons in the fifth century to the Normans in the eleventh, and on to present-day America, many diverse elements and languages have shaped modern-day English.

Divided chronologically, this fascinating guide follows the language from Latin – and earlier – influences, through Old and Middle English to Early Modern and, finally, today’s Late Modern English.

The Story of English also explores, among much else, the history of the printing press, the works of Chaucer, the evolution of the dictionary, the use of slang in speech and the coming of electronic messaging.

Wide-ranging and scrupulously researched, this is both a celebration of and a tribute to the most expressive, and yet adaptable, language in history.

The Story of English illustrates the compelling history of how the relatively obscure dialects spoken by tribes from what are now Denmark, the Low Countries and northern Germany, became the most widely spoken language in the world, and of how that language evolved during the last two millennia.

Chronologically ordered and divided into six main sections covering pre-Roman and Latin influences, the ascent of Old English, and the succession of Middle English, Early Modern and then Late Modern English to today's global language, this fascinating book also explores such factors as the history of the printing press, the works of Chaucer, the evolution of The American Dictionary of the English Language - commonly known as Webster's - and the magisterial Oxford English Dictionary, to the use of slang in today's speech and the coming of electronic messaging: language for a post-modern world.

The Story of English is a great book for any lover not just of English, but of the history and development of language.

Sales points:

A new-look, paperback edition of the successful hardback (over 19,000 sold)
The fascinating story of how the English language has developed over the last fifteen centuries
Traces the influences upon English, from the Roman occupation and the many versions of the Bible, to the British Empire and technological developments of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries
Wide-ranging and well researched, this is both a celebration of and a tribute to the English language

About the Author:

Joseph Piercy

Joseph Piercy is a freelance writer. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree in English studies, and he also studied Russian Literature and Creative Writing at university. Joseph is a regular contributor to various magazines and journals, and he is the author of books on a variety of subjects ranging from English language and literature to history and popular philosophy. His most recent books, Life Lessons from Literature and The Little Book of Stoic Wisdom, are also published by Michael O’Mara Books.