The Lesser-Known Varieties of English
This is the first ever volume to compile sociolinguistic and historical information on lesser-known, and relatively ignored, native varieties of English around the world. Exploring areas as diverse as the Pacific, South America, the South Atlantic and West Africa, it shows how these varieties are as much part of the big picture as major varieties and that their analysis is essential for addressing some truly important issues in linguistic theory, such as dialect obsolescence and death, language birth, dialect typology and genetic classification, patterns of diffusion and transplantation and contact-induced language change. It also shows how close interwoven fields such as social history, contact linguistics and variationist sociolinguistics are in accounting for their formation and maintenance, providing a thorough description of the lesser-known varieties of English and their relevance for language spread and change.
- Written in an accessible style, making it suitable as a supplement to courses on world Englishes
- Offers a perspective on those colonial varieties which are often overlooked in volumes on similar subjects, making this book invaluable for those researching in this area
- The four editors combine knowledge from the different geographical areas studied, creating greater insight into the subjects covered
Reviews & endorsements
'… represents a treasure trove of fascinating materials about the varieties of English, many of which have not been described in detail before … scholars of English in many different fields will find the material exceptionally valuable.' David Deterding, English World-Wide
Product details
March 2010Hardback
9780521883962
386 pages
237 × 157 × 22 mm
0.74kg
1 b/w illus. 25 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction Daniel Schreier, Peter Trudgill, Edgar W. Schneider and Jeffrey Williams
- Part I. The British Isles:
- 2. Shetlands and Orkney Gunnel Melchers and Peter Sundkvist
- 3. Channel Islands Mari C. Jones
- Part II. The Americas and the Caribbean:
- 4. Canadian maritimes Michael Kiefte
- 5. Newfoundland and Labrador Sandra Clarke
- 6. Honduras/Bay Islands Ross Graham
- 7. White Caribbean Jeffrey P. Williams
- 8. Bahamas Jeff Reaser, 9. Dominican Kokoy Michael Aceto
- 10. Anglo-Argentinian English Julian Jefferies
- Part III. South Atlantic Ocean:
- 11. Falkland Islands David Britain and Andrea Sudbury
- 12. St Helena Daniel Schreier
- 13. Tristan da Cunha Daniel Schreier
- Part IV. Africa:
- 14. White Zimbabwean English Susan Fitzmaurice
- 15. White Kenyan English Thomas Hoffmann
- Part V. Australasia and Pacific:
- 16. Eurasian English in Singapore Lionel Wee
- 17. Peranakans English in Malaysia and Singapore Lisa Lim
- 18. Norfolk Island and Pitcairn Peter Mühlhäusler.