The Stories of English

by David Crystal

How did a language originally spoken by a few thousand Anglo-Saxons become one used by more than 1,500 million people? How have all the different versions of English evolved and changed? In this compelling global tour, David Crystal turns the history of the language on its head and tells the real stories of English that have never been fully told.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Linguistics, History, Reference, Writing, Academic

584 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

David Crystal works from his home in Holyhead, North Wales, as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster. Born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1941, he spent his early years in Holyhead. His family moved to Liverpool in 1951, and he received his secondary schooling at St Mary's College. He read English at University College London (1959-62), specialised in English language studies, did some research there at the Survey of English Usage under Randolph Quirk (1962-3), then joined academic life as a lecturer in linguistics, first at Bangor, then at Reading. He published the first of his 100 or so books in 1964, and became known chiefly for his research work in English language studies, in such fields as intonation and stylistics, and in the application of linguistics to religious, educational and clinical contexts, notably in the development of a range of linguistic profiling techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. He held a chair at the University of Reading for 10 years, and is now Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. These days he divides his time between work on language and work on internet applications.

source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this is the story of the development of the English language from Old English to modern Standard English, both spoken and written. At the start three points are made: most English speakers do not speak standard; a significant number of English authors do not write in standard; and a large number of computer users do not use standard. The book includes charts and maps as well as smaller sections to detail points discussed, and translates all archaic styles.

The word English appeared before the country name of England by over a century. The narrative poem, Beowulf, actually shows evidence of all four Old English dialects, and the surviving text was written 250 years after first being composed, so it cannot be stated equivocally where it derives.
What mainly sets Old English apart is its poetical language style. It had at least 50 words for "sea". The human body was a "bone house", eyes were "head gems".
The best way to explain the Old English style is Yoda's speech pattern, putting the object first in the sentence. Also, many place names and features of landscape are derived from Old English.
Around the time of the Norman conquest we enter the period of Middle English, a more familiar, comfortable form of English. This is the era of Chaucer, Christmas carols, and the legends of King Arthur. Middle English introduces genres, prefixes and suffixes, short and long vowel sounds in spelling.
Standard English began making the rounds in the fifteenth century, with the majority of spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, and capitalization rules cemented by the eighteenth century. When all of the views, regions, and users are taken into account, one realizes this was no simple feat. The influence of the various translations of the Bible are discussed as part of the Early Modern period. Early Modern, and I still have half the book to go. Shakespeare, obviously is also mentioned with great import. The difficulty lies in actually pinpointing the beginning and end dates of this transitional period. It's typically presumed to run from the 15th to 18th century.
Here's an experiment: take a 1% selection of pages throughout a college size English dictionary. Identify the words actively used and the words known but not used. The results are one's active and passive vocabularies.
This book is a MUST for anyone who considers himself a Shakespeare fan or who may need research for a Shakespeare term paper. He is riddled throughout the modern English section. Such an impact he had, but not in the way one thinks.
There is even a chapter on Middle Earth!

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

A god boc abutan þe cyriclic of þe angelcynnes.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is comprehensive, I will give Crystal that. My gripe is that this book seemed to want to be a book on language which is accessible to all readers, including those with no background in historical linguistics, so it began with a less-than-academic tone. But it quickly became clear that either Crystal possesses no other voice than that of the academic, or that he simply cannot resist adding even minor, niggling little details to pad every chapter. The narrative continued to slip into intentional casual voice and diction at times, and the effect was jarring as it was immediately followed by dry, academic voice. Also...typos? Grammar errors? I do my best to not intentionally look for these things, but I found a few. I know from experience that even the best copy editor can't catch everything, but one would think that a book on language and grammar would...be a bit more aggressively examined.

So.

If you want a scholarly book, this is a good one (though the non-linear format might just make you crazy and will certainly make it less accessible for future reference than something clearly written as a textbook would). It is not a theory book, but a good repository of examples and illustrations. If you want a less technical introduction to the history of the English language, this book is not it. Stick with Inventing English by Seth Lerer.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the most comprehensive history of the English language you can find that is accessible to the non-linguist. It will help you understand why English spelling is such a disaster, how different dialects of English came to be different from each other, and why language change is not as evil as people might think. Reading this book will make you a better person.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Crystal's book is a succinct history of the English language, including the evolution of the spoken and written word, with a special focus on the large variety of dialects spoken today. Almost everything in the book was new to me, and I enjoyed the details on words from other languages, word variation over time, and the notes on pronunciation, usage, and grammar. Crystal's main thesis, that English never had a consistent style and tone, and that any attempts to force everyone into one would be detrimental, was strongly made. There was a lot of supporting history around that, and I especially found it fascinating to learn how the different regional variants shifted and influenced the core language over time.

One of my favorite chapters focused on the words introduced by Shakespeare—turns out, introducing words was very common practice at the time, and often many authors would include different variants in their works (just one example: "discordant" was also written as "discordous", "discordy", "discordic", "discordful", and many other ways before settling down.) A half-dozen other literary individuals were discussed as well, having introduced dozens—or hundreds—of words into English themselves. What a time to be alive!

While I can't say I'm a huge fan of his relentless attacks on the prescriptive attitude of forcing everyone into exact spelling, usage, and pronunciation rules, I can sympathize with the underlying points. For many years now, English has been spoken more frequently by people who learned it as a second language than by those who learned it as their first. As much as it may make natural language processing a definite challenge, it's important to be open and accepting of those variants, as they add richness, character, and local cultural heritage to the language. I really enjoyed the section discussing uniquely South African words—a couple of which I've learned!

Crystal's book definitely has an agenda, but don't let that stop you from picking it up. One of my favorite etymology/language books yet, filled with plenty of individual detail without obscuring the big picture. It's also nice to have a British perspective on the language, as most of my prior books had a distinctly American slant to them. Definitely recommended to English language fans!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll return to this book one day as I've only read the first 7 chapters. Those on the development of Old English and the transition from there into Middle English are fascinating but I tired after that. Still, mission accomplished. I'm reading some of the Canterbury Tales before a trip to Canterbury in a few weeks and wanted to understand the language better. Crystal has given me some insight into Chaucer's use of dialect as well as the developing language in his time, both of which are very helpful. It's Spring Bank Holiday weekend however and I want to treat myself to a lighter read so back on the bookshelf with this one to be resumed anon. {I enjoy Crystal's books on language as they're so accessible. This one became quite bogged down in detail by Chapter 7 though. It's as if he couldn't decide whether he was writing for amateur linguists or academics. As an amateur, there's just so much labouring of a point I can take!}

[Sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Stories of English" is a necessary, dense, well-researched volume by an expert who clearly has a true passion for the language and its variations. However, it has some clear advantages and some very clear flaws. (I'm fully aware that it's a bit bathetic of me to dismiss any writing but this most wonderful of linguists, however I adore all of his other books!)

Crystal's mandate is clever and clear: provide a history of the evolution of the English language, with a particular eye to studying "non-standard English" in all its varieties. Changes to the language - be they merely regional slang, or international pidgin dialects - are too often forgotten, due to the fact that they rarely appear in surviving print documents, and Crystal wants to lift a light on the subject. We begin with a thorough examination of the growth of Early English, brought together by French, Latin, Anglo, Danish, and so on. Using extensive contemporary texts, Crystal analyses the development of the language, asking such questions as: why do some "loan words" overtake others?; why do some variations remain?; who has the right to decide which language is 'correct'?; and so on, and so forth. Gradually, he moves through Middle English, and into the Modern aspects of the language. Along the way, Crystal continues to provide lengthy excerpts from documents, and finds examples of how the 'non-standard' parts of the language arose, remained, and were treated by those on the 'right side' of English.

There are two particularly notable strengths to the book. The first is Crystal's true passion, which allows him to introduce a variety of texts from centuries ago, and make us feel intrigued by them. The second is his desire to expose the fallacies of those who believe English has exact rules, and should remain within its confines. From the earliest surviving texts, he finds examples of whiners - whether it be those who believe no French or Latin words should be included, or those who are terrified of ending sentences with prepositions - and explains where these mistaken beliefs came from. Crystal doesn't write everything off (he understands, after all, where they come from), but strives to show that strictness for strictness' sake is ridiculous.

However, the book is far from perfect. First of all, despite the claims in the blurb, Crystal's style is often dry and academic. Fair enough, this was never going to be "Gone with the Wind". But particularly in the early chapters, when the subject is six-hundred-year old manuscripts, and the variations of individual letters, it would've been promising to have a slightly more witty tour guide. And, while the first two-thirds of the story are comprehensive, the final third largely covers UK-specific English. There is one fascinating if dry chapter on the development of English throughout the world, but it's quite limited. Again, I understand the need for this, and it actually helps support Crystal's argument that much non-standard English, both on a historical and on a global standpoint, is under-researched, but - to a non-UK reader - things did become a bit specific toward the end.

Crystal has one other adorable but infuriating quirk. He's inclined to make witty - or at least clever - jokes and puns without prior explanation. On several occasions, however, the explanation is so obscure that he's forced to provide an endnote to his explanation of his own witticism. In these cases, he really could've done with just setting up the joke in the main body of the text, as I'd imagine most readers would have had to utilise these endnotes often!

All in all, I'm glad to have read this book. I picked up a lot of fascinating new information, and many of the excerpts were utterly astounding in what they exposed about the lives of our ancestors. At the same time, it never quite found the perfect balance between "popular science" and academia.

[Jon Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read The History of Spanish, I wished I could find a similar history of English. The Stories of English pretty much fills the bill. It was enormously entertaining, offering countless examples of the evolution of words and of the adaptation of words from all over the world.

My first reaction was surprise. While I had previously thought of English as having a venerable tradition going back to antiquity, I came to realize that English is a hodgepodge of different influences, starting with Celtic, Latin, Angle, Saxon, Norse, Danish, even before the Norman Invasion in 1066, and then many more influences afterward. The hodgepodge of English was contrasted with the formality of French, which had a direct line to Latin. So if I want to be proud of English, it will be because of its variety, rather than because of its purity.

The book was written from a British point of view, offering a more exhaustive discussion of British dialects, including Scots and Irish, than of American dialects. Although the book discussed seven world-wide varieties of English, such as Indian English and Caribbean English, it gave only a few pages to each, while there was vastly more space devoted to the regional dialects of England.

The thrust of the book was to approach English descriptively, and to inveigh against the “prescriptivist” approach, the idea that there is a single Standard English, which “ought” to be spoken and which is superior to local dialects. The author says that there is a spectrum with Standard English at one end, and varieties of non-standard English, of varying degrees of formality, spread out along the range. The author makes the point that non-standard dialects are worthy of respect and are essential for the vitality and local identity of the language, while the Standard version is necessary for “supra-regional” use to guarantee the intelligibility of the language throughout its domain.

The author pleads for tolerance and a non-judgmental attitude toward English dialects, but as long as Standard English is taught in schools, as it must be, I fear there will always be pedants and purists who think there is only one right way to speak English.

[Andrew Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

English is not one language, but many and is destined to stay that way. From the divergent dialects which emerged from the Anglo-Saxon migrants of the fifth and sixth century, to the adapted variants of English which proliferate in countries subsequently colonized by the British, there have always been multiple strands to the language.

At the same time, there have long been those who insist that English should be standardized, simplified - tamed. Crystal's book is an exploration of these opposing forces across time.

It's a less easy read than his History of English in 100 Words, partially because the divergent threads tend to lead the narratives in different directions, partially because some of the extended examples are hard to follow for someone of my era and education. But that serves to make the point - which Crystal does - that Standard English does matter. It matters that there is a form of the language that everyone can understand. What Crystal insists, however, is that it should neither be the only accepted form of English, nor should it be arbitrary or preserved in aspic. To frivolously split infinitives is not a sin that prevents comprehension, but dat spek dat use at house may not be appropriate in a formal context.

As a writer, I am broadly in agreement with Crystal's view of the language and the importance of both standard and dialect forms. I do, however, take issue with his view that English education is better than it has ever been: we are often told that our young are falling behind in literacy and I suspect this is not so much an inability to write, more a failure to see the importance of using the right style at the right time. Gangster slang or playground language doesn't look good on a CV.

That said, it's an interesting read and I may well have learned a few new tricks for writing dialogue. Non-writers may find it harder going, but it's worth the effort.

[iago-go · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this has honestly been a year long project, as I've had to alternate this with many other dense readings for my thesis. BUT it's honestly a great and comprehensive guide to English. I think my favourite parts have to be the chapters on old english and up until middle English. The modern parts focused a little too much on prescriptivism-descriptivism for my liking because I feel like i've read that a million times before in uni, but like, a great book for lovers of English! I do wish it would be updated with an extra chapter on contemporary English, but for something on that i guess you can always just read any other of Crystal's books. <3

[Cat. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew! Nearly 600 pages of history of how we talk! Sounds like heaven to me! And it was pretty interesting, although I've discovered that I'm much more interested in Old English than Middle or last century English. Modern dialects interest me too. I should have just skipped the middle of this book, since I got bogged down and ended up flipping guiltily through 4 chapters anyway!

This is really detailed. If you haven't got a clue who Bede was or why he matters (which, after last summer thank God, I do), it may behoove you to find out. No mental picture of the shape of English history would be problematic too, as would a lack of recognition of writings such as Morte D'Arthur and Sir Gawain, and anything by Chaucer.

The surprising thing about the more modern information was how non-prescriptive Crystal is. I supposed that shouldn't surprise me: people in the field tend to be a little calmer about changes in language than people like Safire and his ilk who want rules kept because "it's always been done that way." Except, of course, it hasn't: viz. Shakespeare, Austen, Chaucer, Swift....

My only real problem with the book, besides it's length (and I'm not actually complaining--it's a long subject!) is that Crystal sort of promises to talk about the language outside of England, yet his longest section on American English is about the word "y'all." Now, I like that word, and use it a lot (and I think he's got it backwards and is missing several points in his discussion of it, but never mind), but that's hardly the only Americanism to spend 5 pages on! [And yes, I know I ended a sentence with a preposition; he says it's ok. Besides, I'm in good company...see list above...].

As for dialects outside of England and America, we barely know they exist: Australia? India? Africa? Mentioned, but briefly. Maybe I need to read a book on the language that was written in each geographical area. I don't know how to get the sense of the language's differences if you don't actually 'speak' South African or New Zealander.

Cavil as I may though, I'd still buy this if I wanted a good resource on what was going on in the English language in, say, 1580, relative to something I was reading from before or after that era. It's completely accessible and has lots and lots of charts and examples to help outsiders along.

[Malini Sridharan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and will be reading it again. The little boxed asides were fascinating, and the narrative was easy to follow-- I feel like I really grasp the timeline of the development of English for the first time.
While the last couple of chapters on more recent history were not as interesting to me, I definitely agreed with most of what Crystal had to say about the future of standard English.

[Einde · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teacher of English I have a professional interest in the history of the language. This book falls that criteria and is full of interesting titbits. While it may be a little too detailed for the casual lay reader, it left me wanting more. I would have lived a bit more Information on the development of the rather idiosyncratic orthography of English, but other than that a very satisfying read. I particularly like his critique of "prescriptivism"!

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bits were interesting, but much it was extremely tedious. Much of the section on Old English was confusing for someone who doesn't have a great deal of knowledge about the history of Great Britain.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crystal is smart, well-informed, and amusing in person. I've followed him for a while. I particularly love The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, and I will want to own it someday. Because he carries so much clout, and rightfully so, I almost feel I can't criticize this book. Almost.

He makes a big hoopla in the beginning about the fact that linguists only talk about standard English, and they don't often focus on the tiny varieties of nonstandard English, with their own accents, dialects, and vocabulary. He's going to do something different, you guys. He's going to be unique!

And then he proceeds to write a standard book about standard English.

More than half this book retells the exact same story of the formation of English in the British Isles that every other English language book does: Celtic origins, the Anglo-Saxon invasion, Latin influences from the church, the Norman invasion, Shakespeare, the KJV, on and on. Out of the 20 chapters, only 2 talk about American geography and American English. Only 1 chapter focuses on countries other than Britain and America, with tiny little paragraphs for places like Australia, South Africa, the Caribbean, etc.

It's a disorganized mess where Crystal gets to show off all the stuff he knows. Now, he knows a lot. So you'll probably pick up some interesting things here and there. Crystal moves chronologically, and pulls in lots of sample vocabulary. Which I like. But he doesn't move geographically, or historically. So you don't have any idea of where he is, and where these words are used, at any given time. He randomly focuses on different words, years, people, and doesn't weave it together. This isn't a story. It's the random, nonlinear wanderings of a linguist. A good linguist, yes, but random all the same.

I was looking forward to a geographical and chronological exploration of English as it formed in countries other than Britain and America. Especially in colonial countries, taking into account the history. This isn't it. I would not recommend this as the first Crystal book you pick up. I suppose I'll have to keep exploring his back catalogue.

Instead, I would recommend The Story of English.

Other Crystal books I have my eye on:
--The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot, and Left
--The Story of English in 100 Words

[Warwick Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cyrstal starts with the earliest traces of English in the British Isles and the invasions by the Danes and Germans, and shows an early influx of new words by invaders, and slowly traces the ever-changing language up to the modern day, through the French and Italian influences, and how Latin slowly got replaced by a commoner English for the sake of understanding between the commoners and the prestiges, ending with the internet age as of 2001 and presciently recognising the forthcoming continuation of change and development.

Incredibly comprehensive, covering as many of the early written records as possible, looking at many writers outside of the standard canon of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Dickens to see how this trio weren't the only writers who contributed massive changes, but many of their contemporaries, not just authors of prose, but authors of government documents, churches, and local dialects all influenced what was being written and spoken. In the final pages Crystal argues for the complete abandonment of English "policing" (complaining), because every sense of a 'Standard English' was thrown out the window almost as soon as that standard had been developed. And now as a global language, it is impossible to control how different nations use it for communicating.

Every page is packed with information, to the point where I, not a particularly fast reader, was only getting through 3-5 pages at a time. Hence, the reading period covered about 6 months, and would have taken longer if I hadn't stopped reading other books in between and just knuckled down into this one book. That 'packing of information' might also be daunting to some readers, in the sense that, a more streamlined version of around 300 pages could do the job just as well. This hardcover book averages 400-450 words per page, and at 500 pages, this makes very dense reading. I loved it though! But I've always been fascinated by language and etymology, so this book was right up my alley!

I did wonder if this Allen Lane printing, was a direct copy from the original Penguin publication without any adjustment of text: the 'panels' that give a bit more detailed information about a previous point, often don't flow in a logical manner from paragraphs and across pages, and a reader ends up turning the page for that panel, but when it ends, the page needs to be turned back to where the normal narrative starts up again. Just some annoying little niggly things like that.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in languages and how they change across generations.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fascinating read. Crystal uses language that is clear and easy to read - I guess you would hope he would, given that he is a linguist. It makes the book very readable, which is important because it is so rich and full of story - it requires a bit of application to absorb it all, but it is enjoyable rather than feeling like an academic tome. I finished this book feeling that I had a much better appreciation of English - it's development and usage, and the ways people view language - it's role in society. I love the idea that a language has its own energy, and it will always reflect the diversity of cultures and regions - whether people would have it or not. It did also make me realise that despite my belief that I embrace diversity in language, I probably do still have ideas about 'proper English' that were drummed into me and a ridiculous sense that dialect is somehow less educated. I now have a much better understanding of how standard English often rests upon individuals deciding what is right and what is wrong. Whilst it is important to have a standard for clarity and effective communication, it is very debatable whether some posh 18th century dude can really be the arbiter of right and wrong.
I'm also finally ready to embrace my Essex roots, and celebrate the glottal stop!

[Sebastian Heiser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I already knew a fair bit of English philology before I read this book, so it feels a bit harsh to give this book three stars, because I believe if I wasn’t as aware of the history before I started, his rating very well could have 4 stars. This is obviously something David Crystal has no control over. That said, this is clearly an academic book. Don’t expect a style of Bill Bryson. I did find it rather dry and at times, pontifical. That’s why I am giving it three stars. I did learn some cool stuff, ranging from trivial to macro, but those bits were too far separated in my opinion, lost in a Forrest of minutia and examples to justify a four star rating. I want to read language death by him. Maybe if I really like that one, it will give me new perspective on my perception of this book. Until then though, three stars feels fair.

[Frederike · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Crystal knows how to write a content-packed story about multiple stories, and does so captivatingly and eruditely, advocating respect for all varieties of English, at home and abroad; a book to be reread over and over

[kate :~) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i learned so much but it also hurt my brain. also this is the longest it’s taken me to finish a book in a very very long time 🤯

[Abby Jenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for school. Very interesting!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book although it took me a while to read it. I'm not sure how I came to have the book. At first I thought it might be too erudite, but it was very approachable. I especially liked the pages on doublets taken from English and French used in law (pp 152-153). Many of the sidebar interludes were amusing. I can see re-reading it at some point.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands-down the best one-dollar buy I’ve purchased in quite some time, as I picked up a barely-read hardback copy of this five-hundred-page-plus tome last weekend at Half-Price Books’ annual warehouse sale. (Which, tax-included, would have made it $1.09. But who’s quibbling here?) The subject matter is clearly massive here, unlike his shorter but just as erudite works in the past decade like Words, Words, Words, The Fight for English and By Hook or by Crook. In a nutshell, The Stories of English is Crystal’s comprehensive attempt at providing a layman’s collection of linguistic essays on the development of our beloved mother tongue that is not as daunting as his textbook the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (a work that I have yet, and even fear, to pick up due to its sheer weight and heft.)

While there is not particular theme that stands out, other than linguistic change over time, here are some nuggets of brainy goodness that I ran across and which piqued my interest to no end.

1. Our modern preference for subject-verb-object order was hardly the norm during the Old and Middle English periods, as object-verb-subject occurred more frequently in Old English texts that have survived and been analyzed.

2. The modern word murder comes from the Latin murdrum, which in turn was found in Old English as mordor (the “d” being a slightly different and now extant letter that was pronounced “th”). Shades of Middle Earth anyone? (And, yes, Tolkien was an inveterate linguist of the old philologist order.)

3. The Middle English word ado combined the words to do; which French-speakers would be familiar with the preposition à meaning both “at” and “to.” In short, ado simply means “to do.” Much ado about nothing = Much to do about nothing. Likewise: Without further ado = Without further to do.

4. Language purists/police/prescriptivists beware: “People who readily complain about language always have an unreal perception of what they do themselves; they routinely break the principle they most ardently commend.” Touché, I say.

5. “Increased familiarity with a compound form increases the likelihood that users will move from a spaced version (dark room) to a hyphenated one (dark-room) to a solid one (darkroom).” Pretty simple process, that.

Of course, these are just a few of the gems that I encountered in my long reading of Crystal’s comprehensively researched book. And it is both brilliantly insightful, if not mind-numbing at times. (Those Old and Middle English text excerpts can really put a wrench in it, despite the important points that they’re being used to illustrate.)

[Ushan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A one-volume popular history of the English language with a particular emphasis on the interplay between standard English and its nonstandard varieties. Such varieties must have been there since the beginnings of the language: a Saxon was a wielder of a seax (a kind of knife); if you look at a British regiment abroad today, you'll see speakers of many dialects; why would it have been different in 450 A.D.? Our corpus of Old English texts is only about 3/4 the size of the complete oeuvre of Charles Dickens, but still we can tell, for example, that the word "church" is more common in southern-origin manuscripts, and the word "kirk" in northern-origin ones. The Danes conquered North-Eastern England in the 9th century, but held on to it for less than a century; the Old Norse-derived pronoun "they" gradually displaced the Old English pronoun "hie", spreading from north to south. The third-person singular present tense verb ending -s may have come either from speakers of Old English trying to learn Old Norse but misunderstanding its tense system, or from speakers of Old Norse trying to learn Old English. We have a lot more documents in Middle English, and we can trace the development of its dialects, none of which was standard, since the language of the court was French. Geoffrey Chaucer has a story about two students from the North of England sleeping with the wife and daughter of a miller from the South of England; each character speaks his native dialect. Dialect writing has really exploded in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries: Lady Chatterley's eponymous Lover speaks the English of Nottinghamshire, and corrects the Lady when she attempts to speak it after sexual intercourse. In addition to regional dialects, English also has social registers: tons of French and Latin words were borrowed to create refined English and legal English; the thou-you distinction in Early Modern English seems to be a calque of the tu-vous distinction in French. At the other pole, many writers have tried to stick to the Germanic component of English for clarity and simplicity; Poul Anderson's "Uncleftish Beholding" is an extreme example; but what do you do with Latin borrowings ("cheese", "shrine") that carry the sound changes that differentiate Old English from other Germanic languages of the Dark Ages, and were therefore borrowed when the ancestor of Old English was still spoken on the Continent? Now that English is a global language, there are many varieties of the language throughout the world, from Nigeria to Jamaica; my favorite is the mock-Russian-accented English of englishrussia.com .

[Tom Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Stories of English, David Crystal demonstrates, through his display of knowledge and his fluctuation between academic and casual tones, that the study of language and its history can be very interesting and alive. This is what makes this book a great read for the reader who has little background in the study of language and who wants a comprehensive overview of the history of English.

Unfortunately, considering Crystal's own proposal in the introduction of the book, this is not the sole purpose of the endeavor. In his introduction, Crystal informs the reader that the study of the English language has been incredibly biased toward the "standard" throughout history and that he is attempting to give a more in-depth view of the non-standard language and dialects. While this thesis makes the book seem very interesting and even slightly controversial, Crystal ultimately fails to prove his own point by consistently favoring a study of standard English himself.

Dialects are discussed, particularly in the first few chapters, which deal with the development of the English language, and these chapters are probably the most engrossing in the book. However, the discussion of more modern dialects (and Crystal is very selective regarding these, focusing mostly on differences between American and British English and internal British dialects) is actually quite scant, with his examination of modern global English dialects being discussed in about a chapter and a half, giving the reader the impression that he is only scratching the surface.

This is, of course, not totally Crystal's fault. Any attempt to explore the entirety of the history of the English language in a single volume cannot be expected to be a complete success. It simply seems as though he may have bitten off more than he could chew. As has been said, this book can be used as a great introduction, but those readers looking for a more thorough exploration will want to look further— perhaps not elsewhere, just further. The most unfortunate thing about it is that Crystal, as a writer and scholar, seems completely capable of taking the reader to such places but does not deliver to his full potential.

[Sorrento · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has opened my eyes to the development of the English language in all its forms which is still going on. David Crystal starts his story by firmly debunking the linear evolutionary narrative of English from Saxon times to reach the pinnacle of modern standard English. We discover the origins of Old English with its mix of Saxon and Norse and that there were different dialects of Old English throughout the country. David Crystal then takes us on a thoroughly well researched journey through time as he charts the influences on the development of English. Influences such as the work of the early authors (e.g. Bede, Chaucer) the work of the scribes, the Norman invasion, printing, the translation of the Bible, the work of Samuel Johnson and his dictionary. We learn that English has always been written and spoken in different ways and that it had and still has a diversity of spelling and grammar. However, such professions such as the law needed precision and consistency to avoid misunderstanding so Crystal explains the development of modern Standard English which fulfils this purpose. Crystal then disparages the efforts of those who would have us speak and write all the time within the straight jacket of standard English. He celebrates the wonderful diversity of the way that English is spoken and written in different parts of the country and throughout the world and charts how authors such as romantic poets Wordsworth and Coleridge, Robbie Burns and Walter Scot brought the speech of ordinary people back to our attention. The Stories of English is an historical and social narrative of the development of a language which began on a small island and that has now spread throughout the world. The book concludes with a brief exploration of the effect that modern communication systems such as the internet and mobile phone texting are having on the English language.
It took me quite some time to read this book as the font size is quite small and there is so much information packed into it. However, I enjoyed it immensely and it is one of those books that has changed my views and given me a new understanding.

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another history of the English language? Yes, but... David Crystal belongs to these linguists passionate and in love with the diversity offered by language, a vision that this book reflects to perfection (e.g. note the 's' in 'stories'...).

His angle is original: he doesn't merely retell Standard English's history, he also reinforces such history by recounting that of the dialects and varieties which grew alongside it, and so helped to shape it. Indeed, he starts by exploring the multitude of dialects which ruled over Great-Britain until at least the 18th century, when one of them (South-East, from the triangle London-Oxford-Cambridge) will be 'selected' to be standardised. He then shows how such variety evolved, imposed itself within the whole island first before, then, bursting out into foreign continents following the Empire; all the while still drawing parallels with these other dialects which accompanied it.

The book is more than being intelligently structured. Each chapter focuses on a whole aspect of such language history, all being separated by 'interludes' detailing one of its particular feature. Such read is therefore broken up by little vignettes, completing his arguments as much as they allow food for thoughts.

A constant dialogue between standard and non-standard, it shows that the evolution of a language, its history, is far from being simple and linear, and that behind the passion brought about by the imposing of a standard a fact remains: the richness and beauty of a language lie in its diversity. In fact, David Crystal, brilliant linguist smirking at the constant jeremiads about the supposed 'decline of the English language', puts here his expertise at the service of a great denunciation of prescriptivism.

Instructive, funny at times, entertaining, relevant, here's a goldmine for geeks interested in the English language. I insist on 'geek' because, a massive opus (more than 500 pages!) it deals with the thousand faces of English (standards, Received Pronunciation, regional dialects, sociolects, New Englishes, patois and even creoles and their impact...) in such depth that it's not for the faint hearted! Brilliant.

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crystal is in love with (English) language. So very much that he decided to dedicate his life to the studying of it. So very much that he wrote a book about its history on the British Isles.

I have a soft spot for linguistic enthusiasts. My whole life has been influenced by language. Growing up multilingual and reading everything that came on my path has given me this inappeasable thirst for words, written or spoken. And who would better understand this fascination than a fellow language geek?

The goal Crystal set out to achieve is enormous. I'm actually very much surprised that he managed to contain his stories of English to 500 pages. And throughout these pages it becomes clear that he is incredible at making linguistic changes in history and the battle between prescriptivists and descriptivists compelling to read. His enthusiasm is contagious, he clearly loves talking about language and is very good at talking about it.

This is a very dense book. After all, it is a history of English language. Nevertheless I highly recommend it to anyone who want to learn more about how and why English came to be what it is today. Crystal will make you read through it wishing for more. It also has multiple panels with additional information about the content discussed in a chapter, which definitely adds to the fun.

Who would have thought that I would have such fun reading a non-fictional book... I hope the people that saw me reading it in the bus/train/metro recognised me as a language geek.

[Lukerik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vast info-dump. It reads like the production of a privately-printing seventeenth-century antiquary who has written down many thing that interest him and has had no publishers telling him to remember consumer demographics or to keep it under three hundred pages. Which is not to say that it's a mess, it's not, but arranged chronologically and squeezed in to chapters. But there's a definite sense of spread caused, I think, by the astounding levels of detail. Crystal hates sweeping statements and you'll suddenly realise you're reading about the variant spellings of 'man' in Cotton Aug.ii.64.

Another thing Crystal hates is snobbery. This is a theme that has run through all the books of his that I've read. The thought that one person's English is better than another's makes him bilious and he denigrates histories that provide an over-simplified narrative at the expense of regional forms. Having read one or two of those histories I have to agree with him, but those readings being now some time in the past I could have done with something to reorient myself to the timeline. If you're looking for a straight-forward history of English this is not that book. Look, if you're sitting there with your ignorance in one hand and this book in the other then read the book. You'll love it. It's brilliant. If you know literally nothing bout the history of English and you're looking for a heads-up history read one of those, it doesn't matter which one, and then read this.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hits all the right buttons for me - I am a lexicographer who missed her vocation. One of the first books I ever read about Linguistics in the 70s was by David Crystal so it was great to find him still producing books now. I love the complexity of English - I teach TEFL on occasions and know that one of the complaints from students is 'why are there some many ways to say something?'. This book gives the background to that. I am fascinated by the origins of English and enjoy trying to get my tongue around the yogh and the other sounds that have largely disappeared from Modern English; I have been reading this book on and off for close on a year as it can get very detailed(I put it on my Amazon wish list for last Christmas)and am approaching the end sadly. I intend to get another David Crystal book soon!