Thomas Pyles (1905–1980)

This textbook on the history of the English language focusses more on the language than on the history. That is, the key approach, particularly in the sections on early and middle English, is linguistic analysis that examines the way in which the language worked in various periods, not the broader historical context in which it developed. This is a textbook, and the focus on the "facts" of the language may be ideal for those who want to construct a course which will shed a lot of light on show more linguistics in general, as well as on the development of English in particular. For a general reader, however -- at least for this general reader -- the focus on linguistics makes the book less interesting than some other works in the field. I found Baugh's "A History of the English Language" considerably more rewarding. show less

I used this as a textbook for Historical Linguistics, and usually I never think of textbooks as books. However, after returning it for the umpteenth time, I realized how much I cherish it as a reference as well as to satiate any clamoring for phonetics, Chaucer, and linguistic trends, so it's earned a spot here on the ol' 'Reads list.

A standard history of English language textbook that emphasizes the technical development moreso than the historical context (see Baugh and Cable text). An accompanying worktext is extremely valuable for students to understand new and somewhat complex data. One remarkable disappointment in this edition is the absence of an index of any kind. Instead, Algeo provides a glossary of sorts that seems of limited value.

It was like reading a text book, yes it had some interesting parts to it but it was still like reading a textbook.