This work offers an account of the development of the English language from its earliest recorded words in about 400 BC up to the present day. There are sections on the origins of place names, on dialects, the varieties of English spoken throughout the world, writing systems, the advent of printing and dictionaries, loan words, grammar and spelling and idioms. The book is illustrated throughout with a variety of texts including letters, diaries, formal documents, poetry and other words of literature.