This is the sixth and presumably final volume
in an ambitious series. The first four volumes were distinguished
chronologically according to the traditional paradigm for the
history of English: Old English, Middle English, Early Modern
English, and Present Day English. The other two volumes are
organized geographically. Volume 5 examined English outside
England in most of the expected places (e.g., Scotland, Ireland,
Australia), with the exception of North America, to which the
present volume is devoted. As the general editor, Richard Hogg,
writes (p. xi), the series is designed to offer “a solid
discussion of the full range of the history of English”
to anglicists and general linguists alike. Readers of the latter
category will certainly find this volume accessible. In fact,
the inclusion of a glossary of terms extends that accessibility
to readers outside linguistics as well. Specialists, however,
are likely to be disappointed by the unevenness of the
collection.
