Abstract
To many people it might seem a relatively straightforward matter to write a history of the English language, for one simply starts at the beginning and carries through until the modern day. A history of the English language, however, does raise the questions of what one means by ‘English’ and what a history of it should seek to accomplish. Let us consider the first of these questions.
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Notes
H. Sweet, ‘The History of English Sounds’, Transactions of the Philological Society (1873–4) 620.
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© 1996 N. F. Blake
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Blake, N.F. (1996). What is a History of English?. In: A History of the English Language. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24954-1_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24954-1_1
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-60984-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-24954-1
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