'Masterful, an enormously readable narrative of the English people from the Anglo-Saxons to the present' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times, Books of the Year In The English and their History, the first full-length account to appear in one volume for many decades, Robert Tombs gives us the history of the English people, and of how the stories they have told about themselves have shaped them, from the prehistoric 'dreamtime' through to the present day. 'As ambitious as it is successful . . . Packed with telling detail and told with gentle, sardonic wit, a vast and delightful book' Ben MacIntyre, The Times, Books of the Year 'A stupendous achievement ... a story of a people we can't fail to recognize: stoical, brave, drunken, bloody-minded, violent, undeferential, yet paradoxically law-abiding ... I found myself gripped' Daniel Hannan, Spectator 'Original and enormously readable, this brilliant, hugely engaging work has a sly wit and insouciance that are of themselves rather English' Sinclair MacKay, Daily Telegraph
A new edition of this comprehensive guide to the history of the English language. The book contains carefully chosen extracts to illustrate the development of English, looking particularly at the stylistic and dialectical variety of English. For the new edition Professor Burnley has expanded the introductory sections, added new selections and increased the number of illustrations. He has also included a newsection covering newspaper advertisements from the 18th Century to the present. A popular guide which explores the development of English from Aelfric to Darwin.
This book is an essential resource for those who wish to fully understand the infinite variety of words in the English Language. Taking the reader on an historical journey to the origin of the language, the book tells how conquests of our island, both military and cultural, have shaped the words that we use today. Teachers will benefit from the colourful examples of the various distinctive characteristics of each language group described. A photocopiable appendix gives a useful list of prefixes and roots used in scientific words, which will be enlightening for students of all abilities. Those working with dyslexic pupils will find this part of the book particularly helpful. The book concludes by discussing the benefits and drawbacks brought about by our rich legacy of vocabulary.
Alastair Pennycook here examines colonial language policies in India, Malaysia and Hong Kong, and shows how various policies emerged which both reflected and produced colonial discourses.