An accessible overview of the first centuries in the history of the English language This introduction to Old English is designed for beginning students and provides a basis for study of the history of the language to the present day. It combines a variety of short text examples with a clear assessment of the forms of language which are still the foundation of English as we know it today. Alcorn and Hogg cover all the basic elements of Old English including nouns, adjectives, verbs, syntax, word order, vocabulary and sound values. They draw numerous comparisons between Old English and our present-day language, as well as with related languages such as Dutch, German and French. Chapters include an introduction to Old English poetry and dialect variation, as well as a chapter which examines what happened to English after the Norman Conquest. This up-to-date account of the linguistics of the Old English period Integrates accounts of the language with selected texts graded to improve accessibility for the beginner. It contains exercises, a glossary of key terms and an Old English glossary.