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The Stories of English: The Best Introductory History of the English Language
Paperback
General ReferenceLinguisticsGeneral World History
ISBN13: 9781585677191
Publisher: Abrams Press
Published: Sep 1 2005
Pages: 592
Weight: 1.13
Height: 1.29 Width: 5.42 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
A groundbreaking and entertaining history of worldwide English in all its dialects, differences, and linguistic delights.
A work of impeccable scholarship. -New York Times
Informative . . . distinctive . . . a spirited celebration. -The Guardian
Simply the best introductory history of the English language family that we have. The plan of the book is ingenious, the writing lively, the exposition clear, and the scholarly standard uncompromisingly high. -J.M. Coetzee, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
In this well-informed and appealing work (Publishers Weekly), David Crystal provides a startlingly original view of where the richness, creativity, and diversity of the language truly lies-in the accents and dialects of English users all over the world.
Whatever their regional, social, or ethnic background, each group has a story worth telling, whether it is in Scotland or Somerset, South Africa or Singapore. He reminds us that for several hundred wonderful years, there was no such thing as incorrect English-and traces the evolution of the language from a few thousand Anglo-Saxons to the 1.5 billion people who speak it today.
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