A History of English Sounds from the Earliest Period
With Full Word-Lists

Henry Sweet's work on the sounds of English was first published in 1874, and in this revised version in 1888.

Henry Sweet (Author)

9781108075602, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 August 2014

430 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.4 cm, 0.54 kg

Henry Sweet (1845–1912) began at an early age to teach himself Old English and Old Icelandic. Before going up to Oxford, he spent a year at the University of Heidelberg, studying comparative and Germanic philology, and during his undergraduate career he published an edition of King Alfred's Pastoral Care. His enthusiasm for philology led him to pursue a career in research and teaching, though he did not hold a university post until in 1901 he was appointed to a new readership in phonetics at Oxford. His work on the sounds of English was first published in 1874, and in this revised version in 1888. The work derived from a monograph 'on the history of long e and o', but Sweet's own further research, as well as that of others, led him to a much broader treatment, including an investigation of dialects and medieval and modern English sounds.

Preface
1. Phonetics
2. Sound-change
3. Origin of speech-sounds
4. Origin of dialects
5. Sound representation
6. Arian sounds
7. Germanic sounds
8. Runes
9. Old-English sounds
10. Scandinavian sounds
11. Middle English sounds
12. Modern English sounds
13. Living English sounds
First word-list
Second word-list
Index to first word-list
Tables
Contractions.

Subject Areas: Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF]