The Long Journey of English
A Geographical History of the Language

A concise, original overview of the History of English, focusing on its early development and subsequent spread around the world.

Peter Trudgill (Author)

9781108845120, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 June 2023

190 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.6 cm, 0.43 kg

'This book is a real page turner. Some people find readings about the History of the English Language boring. This is not going to happen with this book - Peter Trudgill marries a thrilling exploration of geographical expansion and retreat with a masterful investigation of the linguistic facts. Food for thought!' Benedikt Szmrecsanyi, Professor of Linguistics, KU Leuven

English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, with native-speaking communities at the furthest ends of the earth. However, just three thousand years ago, the language-which-became-English was not spoken anywhere in Britain. Trudgill, one of the foremost authorities on the English language, takes us on a remarkable journey through the history of English to show how it grew to become the global phenomenon that we know today. Over ten short, easily digestible chapters, he traces its development and global spread, starting with the earliest genesis of English five thousand years ago, exploring its expansion in the British Isles, and finishing with an overview of how the language looks today, including its use in an increasingly digital world. Particular attention is paid to the native-speaker varieties of English from all around the world, and the relationship between colonial varieties of English and indigenous languages.

Prologue: a view from the birthplace
1. Where it all started: the language which became English
2. The journey begins: the first movement south
3. Interlude: a view from the Celtic island
4. Heading west again: the North Sea crossing 400–600
5. Anglo-Saxons and Celts in the English highlands 600–800
6. And further west: across the Irish Sea 800–1200
7. Atlantic crossing: on to the Americas 1600–1800
8. Onwards to the Pacific shore
9. Across the Equator: into the Southern Hemisphere 1800–1900
10. Some turning back: English in retreat
11. Meanwhile… Britain and the British Isles from 1600
12. Transcultural diffusion: the New Native Englishes
Epilogue: sixteen hundred years on.

Subject Areas: Language: history & general works [CBX]