English - History, Diversity and Change (Hardcover)

The story of English is often presented as one of progress: from a set of Germanic dialects to a fully-fledged national, and international language. The emphasis in this book is on the diversity of English throughout its history and the changing social meanings of different varieties of English.
Topics include:
* the history of English; from old English to the present day
* the development of English as a World Language
* grammar
* accents
* style shifting and code switching
* the notion of good and bad English
The book includes contributions from Nikolas Coupland, David Graddol, Paul Kerswill, Marie-Noelle Lamy, Dick Leith, Donald Mackinnon, Geff Siegal, Joan Swann, Linda Thomas and Susan Wright, as well as readings from a range of sources.