The extraordinary tale of a language that came from nowhere to conquer the world—an international bestseller!
Now revised, The Story of English is the first book to tell the whole story of the English language. Originally paired with a major PBS miniseries, this book presents a stimulating and comprehensive record of spoken and written English—from its Anglo-Saxon origins some two thousand years ago to the present day, when English is the dominant language of commerce and culture with more than one billion English speakers around the world. From Cockney, Scouse, and Scots to Gulla, Singlish, Franglais, and the latest African American slang, this sweeping history of the English language is the essential introduction for anyone who wants to know more about our common tongue.
The Story of English
List of Maps
New Introduction to the Third Edition
Introduction: Speaking of English
1. An English-Speaking World
2. The Mother Tongue
3. A Muse of Fire
4. The Guid Scots Tongue
5. The Loaded Weapon
6. Black on White
7. Pioneers! O Pioneers!
8. The Echoes of an English Voice
9. The New Englishes
10. Next Year's Words
Notes and Sources
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
"Highly enjoyable...A first-rate introduction to one of the most fascinating of subjects." —The New York Times
"Rarely has the English language been scanned so brightly and broadly in a single volume." —The San Francisco Chronicle
