Story of Language

This is a book about the history of language: about the process of change which goes on continually in any language which is actually in use. It is intended for the reader without any previous knowledge of the subject, and does not require any technical equipment. Nor does it require any knowledge of foreign languages, though of course these are always a help. Since every reader has an intimate, if unsystematic, knowledge of his own language, the author has centred the book on English, and the second half of it is in effect a history of the English language. The first half deals with more general topics, such as the nature of language, its origins, the causes of linguistic change, and language families.
Although the book is intended for the general reader, the author has not hesitated to introduce a certain number of technical terms, but has tried to explain these in non-technical language, and has also brought them together in a Glossary at the end of the book.