Unlike other histories of the English language, this introduction cuts away traditional divisions into old, middle and modern English to chart the rise of and changes in standard English. It covers the English and historical background, changes in phonology, vocabulary and syntax, and offers close analyses of individual texts of English from a wide range of periods. The final chapter focuses on the place of English as a world language and the growing array of the varieties of English spoken today. A useful appendix gives definitions of technical terms and phonetic symbols.

This book presents an introduction to stylistics for students of literature. It does not presuppose linguistic knowledge, but it approaches literature in a linguistic way. In the first half it looks at the make-up of a sentence in English and how sentence elements are exploited by literary authors. In the second half it looks at the way in which a text is unified by elements beyond the sentence. The conclusion exemplifies the theory explained in the previous chapters.

Re-examining the role of urban policy and planning in relation to the housing market in a time of uncertainty and change, this book examines how systems of urban planning and governance address complex housing market trends, and offers guidance on how it can support an efficient supply of appropriate and affordable homes in preferred locations.