The new edition represents some of Richard Hogg’s last work, and usefully updates earlier editions by incorporating recent research on OE dialect variation, and the historical and social context in which OE functioned. It remains a comprehensive introduction to OE, suitable for undergraduate students who have mastered basic phonological, morphological, and syntactic concepts. It is more comprehensive than traditional grammars of OE, covering issues of variation in OE (chapter 9), and OE’s relationship to later periods of English (chapter 10), as well as providing an accessible and logically structured outline of the grammar of the language. It is also far more accessible than traditional OE grammars. The text has a very student-friendly, direct, and explanatory style throughout, and successfully avoids being either too erudite or too patronizing. Instead, it makes OE interesting by setting it in its historical and linguistic context, and includes well-designed exercises, which can be used both for independent as well as class-directed study.

The Year's Work in English Studies

The revised edition of this fine textbook retains all the excellent features of the original. Hogg's voice can still be heard on every page, speaking directly to the reader and guiding him or her expertly through the intricacies of the earliest stages of our language.

- Carole Hough, University of Glasgow,