The English Language

by Robert W. Burchfield

Here, Robert Burchfield, editor of the four-volume Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary , offers a brief survey on the development of English. He expertly stresses the flexibility of the English language, tracing its ever-changing face from the 5th century AD to the present day.
Burchfield describes the resilience of the language--from the days of runes to the origins of printing, through social, religious, political and industrial change in the eighteenth century, through the rise of the British Empire and the development of world English, right up to the enormous changes
in the English language that have taken place in the twentieth-century. In a stirring Afterword, John Simpson looks at what the historical details of the English Language tell us about the world of its speakers, and how ideas about what constitutes the English Language have changed over the past
decades. Wonderfully informative and a delight to read, The English Language is an essential guide for anyone interested in the early days of our language and how it has transformed over the years into its modern form.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, History, Reference, British Literature

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Adam K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The English Language by Robert Burchfield is a wonderful little primer on the history of the English language. While this is not a deep dive into any particular part of the language's rich history, it touches upon a wide-range of elements from lexical history, to geographic/regional changes, and the development and changes in syntax. Along the way, he provides many fascinating examples of how words, sentences, or pronunciations have changed over the centuries which provides insight into why the English language can seem so nonsensical upon early inspection of the lay person (not to mention the difficulties that many people have who are learning it as a second language). As someone who has always had a fascination with language but is by no means an expert, I found this text readable and educational. This is a great jumping-off-point for someone looking to learn more about the interesting history of the English language.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An overview of the English language—from its historical development to current variation. A very enjoyable read for the linguist, and undoubtedly at least interesting for the layperson curious about the roots and content of the English language, providing a more analytical perspective than the one imposed in English classes.

My favorite tidbit was the origin of the word “window,” from an old Norse compound “vindauga,” meaning “wind-eye.” The book is full of fun etymologies of this kind, just exactly the sort of breadth of knowledge one would expect from an editor of the OED.

Since the book was written by an Englishman in 1985, the book uses a few turns of phrase that we would now view as at best antiquated (e.g. “the Blacks”), but to his credit, this phrase was used to shower praise on the linguistic innovations of AAVE, not to denigrate. He tried, give him some credit.

[Ollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, breif history of the English language.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

The English language has a history--not gripping, but interesting and helpful in evaluating current grammars, spellings, etc.

[Jack Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasured addition to my library beside "Chasing the Sun" by
Johnathan Greene.
Beautiful folio edition found at my local library book sale.

[Af]

Certainly not a comprehensive overview, but interesting tit-bits here and there. The writing is sometimes pretty opaque.