English Historical Linguistics

Written by an international team of leading scholars, this engaging textbook on the study of English historical linguistics is uniquely organized in terms of theoretical approaches and perspectives. Each chapter features textboxes, case studies, suggestions for further reading and exercises, enabling students to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and guiding them on undertaking further research. The case studies and exercises guide students in approaching and manipulating empirical data, providing them with hands-on experience of conducting linguistic research. An extensive variety of approaches, from traditional to contemporary, is treated, including generative approaches, historical sociolinguistic and pragmatic approaches, psycholinguistic perspectives, grammaticalization theory, and discourse-based approaches, as well as perspectives on standardization and language variation. Each chapter applies the concepts discussed to data from the history of English, and a glossary of key terms enables easy navigation and quick cross-referencing. An essential resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of the history of English linguistics.

• Uniquely organized in terms of different theoretical approaches to, and perspectives on, English historical linguistics
• Textboxes and suggestions for further reading guide students on undertaking further research within different subfields, whilst case studies and exercises guide students in approaching and manipulating empirical data, providing hands-on experience of linguistic research
• Cross-references between different theoretical approaches enable students to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each approach
• Features a glossary and key terms, and answers to the chapter exercises online