This book traces the remarkable reconfigurations that English lexis has undergone in the past millennium.

The vocabulary is studied as an indicator of social change, a symbol reflecting different social dynamics between speech communities, on models of dominance, cohabitation, colonialism and globalisation.



Comprehensive guide to the evolution of the English vocabulary.
Well known passages from literature are used to illustrate the variety of English words.
Accessible discussion of Latin, Greek, Germanic and Norman-French languages.
Contains original research into the make-up of the current lexical core of English.