From Sanscrit to Scouse

This is the most comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date single-volume source of information about the English language. Edited by one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject, this unique guide will be both essential for reference and fascinating for browsing.

International perspective

from Cockney to Creole, Aboriginal English to Zummerzet, Estuary English to Caribbean English

Historical range

from Beowulf to Ebonics, Chaucer to Chomsky, Latin to the World Wide Web

Wide coverage of topics

from Abbreviation to Zeugma, Shakespeare to split infinitive

Substantial entries on key subjects

such as African English, etymology, imperialism, Pidgin, poetry, psycholinguistics, sexism, and slang

Box features

include pieces on place-names, the evolution of the alphabet, the story of OK, borrowings into English, and the Internet