The Cambridge History of the English Language:

Book excerpt: Volume II deals with the Middle English period, approximately 1066-1476, and describes and analyzes developments in the language from the Norman Conquest to the introduction of printing. This period witnessed important features such as the assimilation of French and the emergence of a standard variety of English. There are chapters on phonology and morphology, syntax, dialectology, lexis and semantics, literary language, and onomastics. Each chapter concludes with a section on further reading; and the volume as a whole is supported by an extensive glossary of linguistic terms and a comprehensive bibliography. The chapters are written by specialists who are familiar with modern approaches to the study of historical linguistics.