The Story Of English

Product Description

Born as a Germanic tongue with the arrival in Britain of the Anglo-Saxons in the early medieval period, heavily influenced by Norman French from the 11th century, & finally emerging as modern English from the late Middle Ages, the English language has grown to become the linguistic equivalent of a superpower. Worldwide, some 380-million people speak English as a first language & some 6000-million as a second language. A staggering one-billion people are believed to be learning it. English is the premier international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, diplomacy, & on the Internet. It is thought by many to be well on the way to becoming the world's first universal language. Philip Gooden tells the story of the English language in all its richness & variety. From the intriguing origins & changing definitions of common words such as 'OK', 'berserk', 'curfew', 'cabal', & 'pow-wow', to the massive transformations wrought in the vocabulary & structure of the language by Anglo-Saxon & Norman conquest, through to the literary triumphs of Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales & the works of Shakespeare, right up to the profound & surprising effect electronic media have had on its development. The Story Of English is a fascinating tale of linguistic, social & cultural transformation, told accessibly & authoritatively.