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A Primer of Historical English Grammar. By HENRY SWEET. 112 pages. "THE object of this book," the author says, "is to give the essentials of historical English grammar as far as it is possible within the limits of one hundred pages, excluding syntax, but including the history of the language, phonology, inflections, particles, composition, and derivation." This is a large aim for a very small book. For example, the history of English is treated in ten pages. Yet the little book is full to the brim of interesting facts in regard to phonology, inflection, and derivation, so that if carefully studied it must be of real value. A commendable feature is the appendix, containing short examples from all periods of English, together with copious notes. -The School Review, Vol. 4 [1896]

The English language in its complex shapes and forms changes fast. This thoroughly revised edition has been refreshed with current examples of change and has been updated regarding archeological research. Most suggestions brought up by users and reviewers have been incorporated, for instance, a family tree for Germanic has been added, Celtic influence is highlighted much more, there is more on the origin of Chancery English, and internal and external change are discussed in much greater detail. The philosophy of the revised book remains the same with an emphasis on the linguistic history and on using authentic texts. My audience remains undergraduates (and beginning graduates). The goals of the class and the book are to come to recognize English from various time periods, to be able to read each stage with a glossary, to get an understanding of typical language change, internal and external, and to understand something about language typology through the emphasis on the change from synthetic to analytic. This book has a companion website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/z.183.website