A Social History Of English

This history of the English language utilizes the techniques, insights and concerns of sociolinguistics. Written in a non-technical way, it takes into account standardization, pidginization, bi- and multilingualism, the issues of language maintenance and language loyalty, and linguistic variation. Fully revised, this edition includes: updated information about "New Englishes" across the world; a chapter entitled "A Critical Linguistic History of English Texts"; and topics for further study. It should be of interest to students of sociolinguistics, English language, history and cultural studies.