Collins Memorial Library: ENGL 433: History of the English Language: Reference Resources

Oxford English Dictionary Online

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
A guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It contains etymologies, definitions, pronunciations, history and quotes for words in the English language.

General Language & Linguistics Resources

The Cambridge History of the English Language by Richard M. Hogg (Contribution by, Editor)
Call Number: PE1072 .C36 1992 v. 1-6 Print Books
ISBN: 9780521264747
Publication Date: 1992-2001
A multi-volume work to providing a full account of the history of English. Its authoritative coverage extends from areas of central linguistic interest and concern to more specialized topics such as personal and place names. The volumes dealing with earlier periods are chronologically based, while those dealing with more recent periods are geographically based, thus reflecting the spread of English over the last 300 years.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, 2nd ed. by David Crystal
Call Number: PE1072 .C68 2003 Reference
ISBN: 9780521530330
Publication Date: 2003
Includes extensive new material on world English and Internet English, in addition to updated statistics, further reading suggestions and other references.
Oxford Companion to the English Language by Tom McArthur (Editor); Jacqueline Lam-McArthur (Editor); Lise Fontaine (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780199661282
Publication Date: 2018
Provides an authoritative single-volume source of information about the English language. This new edition notably focuses on World Englishes, English language teaching, English as an international language, and the effect of technological advances on the English language.
The Oxford History of English by Lynda Mugglestone (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780199660162
Publication Date: 2013
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 inits rich variety over fifteen centuries, and chart its varied progress nationally, regionally, and throughout the world.
A Companion to the History of the English Language by Haruko Momma (Editor); Michael Matto (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 1405129921
Publication Date: 2008
Addresses the linguistic, cultural, social, and literary approaches to language study. Includes an historical survey of the English language, from its Germanic and Indo- European beginnings to modern British and American English. Enriched with maps, diagrams, and illustrations from historical publications.
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, 2nd ed. by William J. Frawley (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780195139778
Publication Date: 2003
Encompasses the full range of the contemporary field of linguistics, including historical, comparative, formal, mathematical, functional, and philosophical linguistics with special attention given to interrelations within branches of linguistics and to relations of linguistics with other disciplines.
Ethnologue by Raymond G. Gordon (Editor)
Call Number: P371 .E83 2005 Reference
ISBN: 9781556711596
Publication Date: 2005
A comprehensive reference book that catalogs all languages known to be in use in the world today.
The Oxford Handbook of World Englishes by Markku Filppula (Editor); Juhani Klemola (Editor); Devyani Sharma (Editor)
Call Number: PE1074 .O84 2017 Print Books
ISBN: 9780199777716
Publication Date: 2017
This collection engages current linguistic theories, questions, and methodologies and provides a complex history of the global spread of English, theoretical chapters, and case studies.
The Handbook of World Englishes by Daniel R. Davis (Editor); Cecil L. Nelson (Editor); Zoya G. Proshina (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9781119164210
Publication Date: 2020
Brings together multiple theoretical, contextual, and ideological perspectives, and offers new interpretations of the changing identities of world Englishes (WE) speakers and examines the current state of the English language across the world.

Specialized Dictionaries and Grammars

Middle English Dictionary (Middle English Compendium)
The Middle English Compendium contains 3 free resources on Middle English: the Middle English Dictionary, a Bibliography of Middle English prose and verse, and a Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. The Middle English Dictionary offers a comprehensive analysis of lexicon and usage for the period 1100-1500. This electronic version of the MED preserves all the details of the print MED, but is searchable in ways impossible within any print dictionary.
Johnson's Dictionary Online
An easily searchable version of the first edition of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language. It allows you to view entires online and see a scan of the original page entry.

A Middle-English Dictionary by Francis Henry Stratmann; Henry Bradley (Editor)
Call Number: PE679 .S7 1891 Reference
ISBN: 9780548202708
Publication Date: 2007 (reprint)
Also available online via HathiTrust.
The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots by Joseph Twadell Shipley
Call Number: PE1571 .S46 Print Books
ISBN: 0801867843
Publication Date: 2001
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by Rodney Huddleston; Geoffrey K. Pullum
Call Number: PE1106 .H74 2002 Reference
ISBN: 9780521431460
Publication Date: 2002
Each chapter comprises core definitions, detailed analyses, notes explaining alternative interpretations of difficult or controversial points, and brief notes on usage and history. Numerous cross-references and an exhaustive index ensure ease of access to information. An introductory section offers guidance as to how best to use the book is provided.
Dictionary of American Regional English by Frederic G. Cassidy (Editor-In-Chief)
Call Number: PE2843 .D52 v. 1-6 Reference
ISBN: 9780674205116
Publication Date: 1985-2012
This series captures the language spoken on America's main streets and country roads, words and phrases passed along within homes and communities, from east to west, north to south, childhood to old age. Built upon an unprecedented survey of spoken English across America and bolstered by extensive historical research, DARE preserves the language with all its idioms and peculiarities.

Digital DARE Quarterly Updates
Since the launch of Digital DARE in 2013, DARE editors have continued to write new entries and senses and to update and revise existing ones. Ongoing quarterly updates are freely available online.

Collins Memorial Library

ENGL 433: History of the English Language

Subject Guide

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Oxford English Dictionary Online

General Language & Linguistics Resources

Specialized Dictionaries and Grammars