The English Language (Canto Classics)

This book is an essential classic for any amateur and/or student linguist. It gives a basic and accessible overview of the roots, branches, and future of the English language. Highly recommended.

This book seems like an excellent introduction to the history of English-language development. I would caution anyone who is considering this book to evaluate how technical a work they wish to read. If the annswer is 'not very' or even 'moderately,' I'd advise them to keep clear of Barber's text. He has many lengthy analyses of morphology and phonology changes of Indo-European, Proto-Germanic and Old-English words, which can be confusing or exhausting if a reader doesn't have a serious interest. (I do, but still think it's a bit dull.) My knowledge of this subject prior to reading the book was very general (i.e.-- of the 'I think the Normans invaded in 1066' type...), but I feel pretty grounded in the topic, after reading Barber's text...I'm ready to tackle Old English! Another caveat-- Barber is British, and bases all his pronunciations on British 'Received Pronunciation' rules, which may challenge American readers--like myself--trying to puzzle out his pronunctions...and a cursory knowledge of Latin and perhaps Greek or German can really help in understanding the 'pre-historical' aspects of his argument.A last note: an earlier reviewer has claimed that this book 'makes clear the relationship between Dutch and English.' I think he's misunderstood Barber's analysis, as Barber clearly states that English is most closely related to Anglo-Frisian, which is a branch of the West-Germanic group, but distinct from the Dutch/Old Franconian branch. The languages are hereditary, but not linear (according to Barber). This could be a niggling point, but may prejudice potential reader's to Barber.Overall, a great (but technical) read, and thrilling to a determined student of English-language development.

I found this book fascinating, as it brought together so much information on topics that I'd previously skimmed over or touched on tangentially. For example, the introductory section on phonetics was just what I needed as a solid foundation for all the references I'd come across randomly before. Each of the following sections were both enlightening in a general way and full of interesting little nuggets that explained the general development of the English language and especially all the curious little quirks of pronunciation and spelling that occurred along the way. I found it especially interesting because of my knowledge of other languages, with all sorts of connections and contrasts jumping out at me in relation to German, French and even Gaelic. For example the fact that "adder" in English evolved from OE "naedre" ("a nadder" becoming "an adder") made me think of the Gaelic "nathair" for snake.

This book is excellent for reference when studying and for personal education if you're interested in learning about the history of the English Language. Sounds boring, but did you know that Farsi is considered a Germanic language like French and Norwegian?? Also teaches the finer points of language, how words are pronounced and how different dialects develop. Broken down into easy-to-comprehend chapters, each deals with a certain part of the history of language and breaks it down into groups based on geography. From 1 being the easiest and 10 being the worst, reading level is about a 4 yet so much information compacted into a small book creates a dryness level of 8.

Had to read this for one of my college courses. It's dryer than the Sahara Dessert, my friends. Ever read a paragraph ten times and not recollect a single thing it said because it was so boring? That's every single paragraph in this book. I originally bought the paper version, but I soon realized my mistake. It was simply too dry to read. So I returned it and bought the digital version so I could have my kindle fire hd read it aloud to me as I pounded my head against the wall and wished I was doing literally anything else.

Interesting and well presented. About half way through they stopped holding terms, so it was difficult to gauge what was important and what was a fun fact.

A fascinating read, it details the history of the English language from the linguistic standpoint. Linguistic terms are explained clearly for those who may not have a very detailed background in linguistics, (such as myself) but are interested in the subject. It's a great way to get started!

As textbooks go, this one isn't bad. It's not something I'd buy for my own personal reading, but it's very informative and useful for the class I'm taking.

This was a necessary purchase for a module at university called, 'The History of English' and it is one I am thoroughly glad I made. The book is very easy to read (for a first year BAhons), helpful and explanatory of the main aspects you need to be aware of when studying the history of the English language. I would say however that this is more of a starting guide and could not be relied on to construct an entire essay with. I studied a similar topic at A-level and thought it would have been useful then also.I would recommend this not just to students of English but those interested in finding out more about the English language. It's definitely not a book that I will be selling on, I can easily see myself rereading it one day.I did also feel that it was rather pricey but one of the authors was my lecturer and was a lovely woman so it's good to know my money was going to a nice person!

It's a book. I'm not a book reviewer.

Rather heavy going, but a useful work for students of the English language, especially teachers.

An exhaustive overview of the transformation of English language since its origins till nowadays spoken varieties. I found it useful for my studies above all in the last part, with the explanations and examples provided by the author.

Used the book for a university course, 'The History of English', and I enjoyed reading it. It's informative, written in clear, easily understood English, and concise.