Part 1. What Is language? When language began How language changessound change How language changesbuilding new material How language changesmeaning and order How language changesmany directions How language changesmodern English Language familiesIndo-European Language familiestracing Indo-European Language familiesdiversity of structures Language familiesclues to the past The case against the world's first language
Part 2. The case for the world's first language Dialects-subspecies of species Dialectswhere do you draw the line? Dialectstwo tongues in one mouth Dialectsthe standard as token of the past Dialectsspoken style, written style Dialectsthe fallacy of blackboard grammar Language mixturewords Language mixturegrammar Language mixturelanguage areas Language develops beyond the call of duty Language interrupted
Part 3. A new perspective on the story of English
Does culture drive language change?
