David Crystal

English is now spoken by a third of the world’s population, but how has it become so widespread? In this illustrated history David Crystal charts the development of the language from the earliest runic inscriptions in Old English, through the emergence of a standard variety of English between 1400 and 1800, to the most modern forms of the language in ‘concrete’ and ‘text’ poetry.

Evolving English shows the past, present and, most importantly, the future of our language.