Professor Vinokur (1896–1947) discusses each of the stages in the development of Russian from its Common Slavonic source, and the growing dominance of the dialect of Moscow from the sixteenth century, up to the ninenteenth century when the language had virtually reached its present form and into the twentieth century. Each stage is illustrated by extensive quotation, all examples of Old Russian being translated into English, but examples in modern Russian appearing in the original only. This 1971 text will be of value to students of Russian with a basic linguistic grounding who are beginning their study of the historical development of the language.