Calls for increased attention to subject-specific histories have been somewhat insistent in the last two decades. An important emphasis in these calls has been for attention to the history of the 'preactive curriculum' as represented, for example, in Syllabus documents. English has been a particular case in these arguments- a case which often revolves around defining the subject itself. Others have argued further that subject-specific history is usually centred in detailed local, historical studies of the recent past. In attempting to address these issues, this study sets out to answer the questions: 1/. How was Years 7-10 English defined from the early 1970s to the early 1990s in NSW? 2/. What was the relationship between the concepts 'English' and 'literacy' in NSW in the given period? The study focuses specifically on constructions of English in Syllabus documents, professional journals, textbooks and examinations. The particular methodology used to address the study questions is an in-depth study of two selected years during, viz. 1977 and 1992, accompanied by detailed discussion of contextual aspects of these years. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)