Preface ix
Abbreviations and Symbols xi
Language Periods Referred to in the Text xiv
1 Introduction and Overview 1
2 England and English from the Romans to the Vikings 14
3 The Old English Roots of Modern English Spelling 33
4 The Decline and Revival of English in the Middle English Period 65
5 The Franco-Latin Element 86
6 Some Sound and Spelling Developments in Middle and Modern English 173
7 The Greek Contribution 194
8 The Exotic Input 228
9 Reformers, Lexicographers and the Parting of the Ways 293
Glossary of Technical Terms 315
Bibliography 320
Language and Dialect Index 324
Word and Word-Element Index 328
General Index 373