The History of English

The most important group of people relevant to the making of English are the English themselves. The authors of the book focus most of their energies on the development of English in England not only from the inception of the language but in its contemporary manifestations. The authors buy into a particular theory of the development of the English language, which attributes its evolution to "three invasions and a cultural revolution" of life in the area known as present day English. Thus, the history of the English language and the English people are deeply tied.

Historically, the authors track English to the Celts, the first inhabitants of the British Isles and who spoke Gaelic before English even existed. Celtic culture continues to exist among the Welsh, some of whom even speak modern Celtic tongues. In 55 B.C. Julius Caesar conquered England and over the next...