Dictionaries are far more than works which list the words and meanings of a language. In this Very Short Introduction, Lynda Mugglestone shows that all dictionaries are partial and all are selective--human products that reflect the dominant social and cultural assumptions of the time in which they were written. Indeed, Dictionaries exist not only as works which seek to document language, but also as cultural documents that are connected to the world in which they were produced. Exploring common beliefs about dictionaries, providing behind-the-scenes glimpses of dictionary makers at...

Lynda Mugglestone's hugely popular The Oxford History of English is now updated and entirely reset in a new edition featuring David Crystal's new take on the future of English in the wider world.
In accounts made vivid with examples from a vast range of documentary evidence that includes letters, diaries, and private records, fifteen scholars trace the history of English from its ancient Indo-European origins to the present. They cover the language's versions, written and spoken, revel in its rich variety over fifteen centuries, and chart its varied progress nationally,...