Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Library Collection - Linguistics

August Schleicher (1821-68) paved the way for modern historical linguistics with his 'family tree' model of language relationships and his early reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European. This abridged English translation of the third edition of Schleicher's 1861-2 Compendium appeared in 1874-7, and focuses on Indo-European and the classical languages.

Published in 1887 with the aim of promoting interest in the Cornish language, this was the first resource to provide Cornish translations for English words and phrases. Compiled by Frederick W. P. Jago (1817-92), it also contains literal translations of biblical texts, such as Genesis and the Ten Commandments.

Henry Sweet's work on the sounds of English was first published in 1874, and in this revised version in 1888. Originally intended as a monograph on two sounds only, it ended up as a much broader book, including an investigation of dialects and medieval and modern English sounds.

The work of Henry Sweet (1845-1912), the renowned philologist and phonetician, revolutionised the study of linguistics in Britain and Europe. This two-volume work, published 1892-8, was the first scientific grammar of English. Volume 1 contains the first study of English phonology alongside accidence and the history of English.

Together with companion lectures (also reissued), this popular textbook won Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) a reputation as one of the foremost grammarians of his time. Unlike many comparable works, it assumes no knowledge of Latin, championing usage above all other linguistic standards. This second edition first appeared in 1769.

The polymath Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) delivered this lecture series in 1762, arguing that the purpose of rhetoric is moral formation. First published in 1777, and reissued here in its 1781 printing, the work draws on the theory of psychological associationism as developed by John Locke and David Hartley.