A History of Early English

The History of Early English provides an accessible and student-friendly introduction to the history of the English language from its beginnings until the end of the Early Modern English period.

Taking an activity-based approach, this text ensures that students learn by engaging with the fascinating evolution of this language rather than simply reading about it. The History of Early English:

• Provides a comprehensive introduction to early, middle and early modern English;
• Introduces each language period with a text, from writers such as Shakespeare,?Chaunticleer and?Chaucer, accompanied by? a series of guiding questions and commentaries that will engage the reader and give them a flavour of the language of the time;
• Features a range of activities that include discussion points, questions, online tasks and preparatory activities that seamlessly take the reader from one chapter to the next;
• Supported by a companion website featuring video and audio files, further activities and links to online material.

Written by an experienced teacher, this book is the essential course textbook for any module on the history of English.

Keith Johnson is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Language Education in the Department of Linguistics and English Language, University of Lancaster