A History of the English Language

By Thomas Cable and Albert C. Baugh

Book Overview

A History of the English Language explores the linguistic and cultural development of English from the Roman conquest of England to the present day to provide a comprehensive overview of the different aspects of its history.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1032953632
• ISBN13: 9781032953632
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 412 Pages
• Weight: 1.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

An Excellent History

I bought "A History of the English Language" looking for a dependable history of the English language that could be read by a beginner in Linguistics. In this book I found exactly what I wanted. "A History" presents English's long, complicated development in a fascinating and accessible way. Although the text is dense and somewhat slow, it is never boring. The writers are clearly very passionate about the subject, and although the book is fifty years old it is well-updated, including a new chapter on African-American English. In fact, few books have taught me more than "A History." England's numerous migrations and occupations, by the Romans, the Normans, the Scandinavians, and the French, shaped the language, so I learned much about England's own history. I found the first chapter, about the Indo-European language and its influence, especially edifying. "A History" also briefs you on the European intellectual movements that influenced English. In explaining English's development, Baugh and Cable acquaint the reader with many linguistic terms and theories. This readable, informative, comprehensive history of English is highly recommended.

Still the best!

After decades of use in both undergraduate and graduate classes, Baugh's masterwork is still the best introduction to our language for the serious student (or the discerning teacher). Buy it.

Very Comprehensive Read

I,like another reviewer, read this book over 20 years ago for a college class when I was a major in Linguistics. I was so enthralled with it, that it still graces my library shelves today. The cultural and social impact which brought change and foreign languages into English was just fascinating and very well written. I highly recommend this book.

A real classic.

I read this book about 25 years ago. It was a textbook for a graduate course, The History of the English language, Of course, I cannot make very specific remarks about something that I read so long ago, but I can state that I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It was complete, well documented, and utterly fascinating! It enabled me to understand so much more about how people speak and think, how language changes, and how it stays the same.