Origins of the English Language

By Joseph M. Williams

Book Overview

From Simon & Schuster, Origins of the English Language is Joseph M. Williams' exploration of social and linguistic history.

In this book, author Joseph Williams presents a unique social and linguistic history as he explains the ways in which culture, education, class, and race affect language use and what changes in grammar reveal about the changes in our social lives.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0029344700
• ISBN13: 9780029344705
• Release Date: April 1986
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 436 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Origins of the English Language

Joseph Williams's Origins of the English Language: A Social & Linguistic History accurately highlights the history of the English language from the evolution of man clear through to Modern English that we speak today, providing enough knowledge for anyone to completely understand the origin of English. Intended for use as a textbook in college-level English history classes, Williams style is one that is conservative yet informative when he touches on many of the major aspects of the evolution of English, backing each up with references that make for a quite impressive bibliography with over 200 references. By reinforcing the facts that he mentions, Williams's style is one that is hard to misinterpret yet very informational and easy to follow. Some of this may be due, in part, to the assistance that Williams received from various university professors while writing this piece. Although at times Williams repeats his theories and arguments, he warns of this in his preface so that the reader is aware that this repetition is only to emphasize major points. Overall, I feel that this book is one of the most indepth yet comprehensible books on the history of the English language.