Roots of English
Roots of English
What is the explanation for the nature, character and evolution of the many different varieties of English in the world today? Which changes in the English language are the legacy of its origins and which are the product of novel influences in the places to which it was transported? Roots of English is a groundbreaking investigation into four dialects from parts of northern Britain out of which came the founding populations of many regions in other parts of the world. Sali Tagliamonte comprehensively describes and analyses the key features of the dialects and their implications for subsequent developments of English. Her examination of dialect features contributes substantive evidence for assessing and understanding bigger issues in sociolinguistic theory. Based on exciting new findings, the book will appeal to those interested in dialects, from the Anglophile to the syntactician.
- Provides the first ever documentation of four little-known dialects of English
- Offers an analysis of how dialect features work, who uses them and how often
Reviews & endorsements
"The book is well illustrated and scholarly - it has dozens of scholarly citations per page and an extensive bibliography."
E. L. Battistella, Choice
"… will serve as a useful resource not only for researchers on variation and change in dialects of English but also for historical linguists working on the reconstruction of language history. Tagliamonte’s coupling of the historical comparative method with variationist analysis is an exciting exemplification of what might be called "historical sociolinguistics"."
James A. Walker, English Language and Linguistics
Product details
November 2012Paperback
9780521681896
266 pages
227 × 152 × 12 mm
0.43kg
54 b/w illus. 2 maps 19 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Dialects as a window on the past
- 3. The 'Roots' archive
- 4. Methods for analysis
- 5. Word endings
- 6. Joining sentences
- 7. Time, necessity and possession
- 8. Expressions
- 9. Comparative sociolinguistics
- 10. The legacy of British and Irish dialects.
