ABSTRACT
Imagine that you have stomach ache and you go to the doctor. The doctor would ask you to describe your symptoms – you groan, clutch your stomach – and also to describe the relevant background to your symptoms. You would probably be asked such questions as: When did the trouble start? Have you eaten anything that might have caused it? Has it affected your appetite? By investigating the medical history relevant to your present state, the doctor can learn more about your stomach ache. I say relevant because obviously a doctor would not ask you such a question as: Has your big toe been hurting? The case with language is similar. By investigating the history that is relevant to the present state of the English language, we can gain insight into that language, and we can begin to explain how it got to be as it is. For example, we can explain why it is that we have such apparently crazy spelling; how it is that words come into existence; why it is that sometimes we seem to have a choice of words to express more or less the same thing (e.g. fortunate and lucky); where the confusing apostrophe-s (e.g. student’s or students’) came from; why it is that we don’t all talk like the queen or the people on the BBC; and so on. By looking at how English has changed, and the factors that have influenced those changes, we can begin to answer questions like these.
