The books in this new series examine the history of English and its use in a variety of contemporary contexts: the learning and teaching of English in different parts of the world; the position of English in relation to other languages and its use as a language of international communication. Each book in the series examines the social and political aspects of the English language, includes source material, case studies and activities and assumes no prior linguistic knowledge. The story of English is often presented as one of progress: from a set of Germanic dialects to a fully-fledged national and international language. The scope of this book is much wider, emphasizing the diversity of English throughout its history and the changing social meanings of different varieties of English. Topics discussed include the history of English from old English to the present day, the development of English as a world language, English grammar and accents.