The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language is one of the publishing phenomena of recent times. Rarely has a book so packed with accurate and well researched factual information been so widely read and popularly acclaimed. It has played a key role in the spread of general interest in language matters, generating further publications and broadcasting events for an avid audience.

Its First Edition appeared in hardback in 1995 and a revised paperback in 1997. There have been numerous subsequent updated reprintings; but this Second Edition now presents an overhaul of the subject for a new generation of language-lovers and of teachers, students and professional English-users concerned with their own linguistic legacy.

The length of the book has been extended and there are 44 new illustrations, extensive new material on world English and Internet English, and a complete updating of statistics, further reading suggestions and other references.

Contents

Prefaces
1. Modelling English

Part I. The History of English: 2. The origins of English, 3. Old English, 4. Middle English, 5. Early Modern English, 6. Modern English, 7. World English

Part II. English Vocabulary: 8. The nature of the lexicon, 9. The sources of the lexicon, 10. Etymology, 11. The structure of the lexicon, 12. Lexical dimensions

Part III. English Grammar: 13. Grammatical mythology, 14. The structure of words, 15. Word classes, 16. The structure of sentences

Part IV. Spoken and Written English: 17. The sound system, 18. The writing system

Part V. Using English: 19. Varieties of discourse, 20. Regional variation, 21. Social variation, 22. Personal variation, 23. Electronic variation

Part VI. Learning about English: 24. Learning English as a mother tongue, 25. New ways of studying English

Appendices Indexes