Presents over 50 carefully chosen extracts to illustrate the development of English, looking particularly at the stylistic and dialectical variety of English. Considers the relationship between dialect speech and the standard at various periods, its social implications, the influence upon English of foreign languages, and the occurrence of colloquial expression in writing or the characteristics of Latin-based prose. The selection of particular types of writing from a range of periods permits the exploration of certain pathways through the history of English, including scientific writings, from Aelfric to Darwin, attitudes to, and understanding of, language, from the 14th to the 19th centuries, the continuing art of letter writing and the development of the language of a region.