First published in 1983, The Development of Word Order Patterns in Old English tests theories of word order change using data on change in Old English. This data is drawn from various sources, the primary one being the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and from the work of other scholars in Old English and historical linguistics.

After an introductory chapter, background information on word order typology, theories of word order change, and on research on the order of Proto-Indo-European and the Germanic languages is presented. The core of the author’s own analysis reveals that the data does not conform to the predictions of various theories of word order and thus challenges many accepted views on the stages English has passed through on its way to Subject-Verb-Complement order. It is the ideas of linguists such a Sapir which are supported strongly in this book which itself represents a major new study for those working in Old English or historical linguistics.