King Alfred’s English

What does King Alfred have to do with the English we speak today? Plenty and we should all be thankful for this King of 11 centuries ago.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading King Alfred’s English: A History of the Language We Speak and Why We Should Be Glad We Do. It was a fun, quick and easy-to-read book, but one that packed a punch. I think teens will wish all their required subject reading was this enjoyable. Laurie White presents this subject, not in a dry, boring way, but as a living story that easily explains how we got from point A to point B. She does a great job of bringing understanding to basic historical events, just in case your not familiar with them. In other words, you don’t have to have your history down pat ahead of time to understand the flow.

This book about the English Language really gives a great concise history of England itself. The invasions, the literature, and all that shaped the conglomeration we speak today. It also includes a good overview history of the English Bible, and the role it played in developing the language we all, Christian or not, speak. Laurie does a good job of showing the leading causes that led to the consequences that developed our language.

This book will be added to our children’s required reading list, and I don’t think they will mind at all. I suggest you add it to your high schooler’s English course – and that you read it too. Not only will you learn some great useful information about the history of our language, those things will help you teach English also. You’ll know why, things are the way they are. And you’ll enjoy your reading time along the way. So will your students.

The author’s website also includes free supplemental material for students working through this book. (I haven’t had a chance to check that out yet.)

Order King Alfred’s English today to give your youth a great overview of the History of the English Language.

King Alfred’s English: A History of the Language We Speak and Why We Should Be Glad We DoBy Laurie J. White / The Shorter Word Press One needs only to glance at Chaucer, or even further back at Beowulf, to see that English has not always what we call English. Divided into the major epochs of the language–Pre-English Britain, Old English (which was formed from an invasion of Latin & Old Norse), The Transition from Middle to Modern English, and finally Modern English–this casual re-telling of history will engross you. Mingling history, religion, famous people, and linguistics, the story of English is integrated into the story of Western History. 150 pages, softcover. Supplemental material is available online (website in book) for chapter worksheets, unit tests, links, and suggested movies.

The author graciously gave me a review copy of this book to read. Thank you Laurie. I loved it.