Historical Phonology of English

This title charts the historical development of the English phonological system. Phonological evolution is a major component of the overall history of the language; the subject matter is both significant on its own terms and relevant in curricular terms. This book describes the segmental and prosodic changes in the history of English, provides analyses of these changes both as phonological events and in relation to the evolution of interlocking aspects of earlier English and highlights the relevance of the topics and possibly generate further interest by projecting historical phonological change onto Present-Day English and its varieties. The development of the English sound system is probably the best studied part of the history of the language, however no up-to-date, student-friendly survey exists: this book fills the gap. Donka Minkova is a world renowned expert. This is longer and more in depth than some ETOTEL Advanced volumes. It includes exercises and suggestions for further reading.

One of the many virtues of the book is the way that it seemlessly integrates linguistics and philological information... The book is a goldmine of ideas for students looking for topics to research. Another remarkable feature of the book is the currency of the research represented and the author's willingness to abandon lon-held consensual views on the basis of recent findings... This book is a product of many years' experience in the library and the calssroom of a leading figure in English historical linguistics, as well as the result, plainly, of a great deal of hard and meticulous work. There are delights to be found on every page... The substance of the book is enhanced by a free-access online companion with more than 130 pages of original material in the form of additional readings, exercises, comments and further resources. Both instructors and students will be grateful to have such a detailed, up-to-date and brilliant introduction to the historical phonology of English.--R. D. Fulk, Indiana University "Diachronica", The book complements McMahon's (2002) volume in the ETOTEL series by providing an in-depth historical background to Present Day English which demonstrates the development of modern English from its earlier stages. Minkova writes clearly, explaining the subject in an easily-understandable and engaging manner which is appropriate for more advanced students. The further reading and sample questions are useful for both students and tutors. Overall, the book succeeds in its aim as a bridge between basic introductory textbooks on the subject and more specific, period-based phonologies of English.--Christine Wallis, University of Sheffield "Linguist List", This book is a very impressive accomplishment that will serve both present and future students and fellow scholars well in their learning, teaching and research.--Robert W. Murray, University of Calgary "English Studies"

Donka Minkova is Professor of English, University of California, Los Angeles.