This book is about the roots of language and how they are reflected in the way the language is spoken from one place to the next and from one generation to the next. The particular language I focus on is English. As English becomes the dominant global language, its development and the changes it is undergoing are dramatic. Which changes are the legacy of its origins and which are the product of novel influences in the places to which it was transported? This book provides a unique perspective on these questions by going back to where the roots still show – dialects spoken in remote areas of Northern Ireland, Lowland Scotland and north-west England as represented by lengthy conversations with elderly people in selected communities in these areas. Each community is situated within the counties that were heavily implicated in migrations to other locations in the world during the early colonization period. The interesting and uncommon features of English found in these locales may contribute to a greater understanding of the English language, how it has changed over time and why. Indeed, I argue that these dialects provide a window on the past – hence the Roots of English.