Romaine Suzanne (ed.). The Cambridge History of the English Language. Volume 4, 1776-1997

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. — 761 p.The Cambridge History of the English Language is the first multivolume work to provide a comprehensive and authoritative account of the history of English from its beginnings to its presentday world-wide use. Its coverage embraces not only areas of central linguistic interest such as syntax, but also more specialised topics such as personal and place names. Whereas the volumes concerned with the English language in England are organised on a chronological basis, the English of the rest of the world is treated geographically to emphasise the spread of English over the last three hundred years.This volume deals with the history of the English language from 1776 to 1997. An extensive introduction details the changing socio-historical setting in which English has developed in response to a continuing background of diversity as it was transplanted to North America and beyond. Separate chapters on phonology, syntax, and vocabulary chronicle the linguistic features of the language during this period, taking as the basis for discussion the common core inherited from the sixteenth century and shared by what are now the two principal varieties, American and British English. In addition, there are chapters on English as a literary language, English grammar and usage, and onomastics. A separate volume on North American English is in preparation.Volume 1
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