Charles Barber was formerly Reader in English Language and Literature at the University of Leeds. He died in 2000. Joan C. Beal is Emeritus Professor of English Language at the University of Sheffield. Her publications include English Pronunciation in the Eighteenth Century (1999), English in Modern Times 1700-1945 (2004), An Introduction to Regional Englishes (2010). She is the editor of The New Cambridge History of the English Language, Volume 3 (2025). Philip A. Shaw is Assistant Professor in Medieval Literary Studies at the University of Durham. His recent publications include Names and Naming in Beowulf (2020).
'Barber's The English Language has for many years and in various editions been an absolutely invaluable reference-point for students, acclaimed by teachers for its unrivalled clarity and the authority of its content. However, since the last edition the subject has not stood still; developments in the availability of analytic tools, in pedagogy, and in social attitudes mean a fresh edition is now required. Joan Beal and Philip Shaw are to be heartily congratulated on this sensitive yet thorough update, harnessing and interrogating the very latest research in English historical linguistics.' Jeremy J. Smith, Senior Research Fellow and Professor Emeritus, University of Glasgow 'This book is a masterfully updated third edition of a must-read cornerstone on the history of English. In clear and engaging terms, it describes how the sounds, structure, and meanings of English have evolved and how its sphere of usage has expanded across time, geographical areas, and various speech-communities in the British Isles and around the world. Importantly, it draws attention to recent changes in social attitudes to the colonial past of the language and accounts for current research into the history of English.' Merja Kytö, Professor Emerita, Uppsala University