This volume synthesizes studies from multiple lines of research in the fields of corpus linguistics and the history of the English language. However, all chapters make use of electronic evidence, from extensively analysed corpora to newly compiled databases. The entire volume is organized into four parts with thirteen chapters along with a general introduction chapter: ‘Linguistic directions and crossroads: mapping the routes’ (part 1), ‘Changing Patterns’ (part 2), ‘Pragmatics and discourse’ (part 3), and ‘World Englishes’ (part 4). A short introduction precedes each of these parts to set the scene by way of some general reflections on the discussed themes. In this volume, a rapid shift towards using corpus data in research on English is visible throughout.

This collection not only investigates new horizons in English linguistics which have been opened up by the technological advances in search programs, but also demonstrates how the increasing availability of both contemporary and historical English language corpora marked a new phase of research in conceptual and applied terms.

Part 1 contains two chapters dedicated to methodology together with one chapter that discusses important issues in the corpus linguistics approach. Thus, the contributions in this part point out potential methods for approaching one's data in response to an urgent need for researchers to reflect on their own research activity: the critical turn caused by rapid technological advances.

The chapters in part 2 put emphasis on changing patterns of syntactic, semantic and pragmatic functions, and simultaneously illustrate the significance of language contact in the evolution of the studied forms. Subsequently, part 3 is explicitly devoted to exploring the field of corpus pragmatics, showing how certain language data such as interjections and hesitation phenomena can open up agendas for new research. Of particular interest is the way in which the three contributions in this part show how context plays a role in corpus pragmatics.

In part 4, the volume concludes with four chapters that draw together the diversity of Englishes in different parts of the world where specific varieties have emerged in various contexts and in contact with many different cultural influences. The first two chapters concern themselves programmatically and conceptually with the topic of language and identity. Chapter 3 provides an overview of phonetic changes in forms of English especially those which have arisen in the last four centuries while the last chapter continues with speech-based data by highlighting how the emergence of American English can be accounted for through understanding language as a dynamic complex system amenable to change and the development of linguistic varieties.

This volume casts new light on a rich variety of perspectives in relation to contemporary corpus-based research into the English language. It also detects language change through the use of corpora and electronic resources while at the same time walking the reader through many theoretical underpinnings.