Joan C Beal - Böcker

English in Modern Times describes the development of the English language from 1700 until 1945, and argues that it is in the course of this later modern English period that the characteristics of 'modern' English evolved. This is the first undergraduate text to cover the whole of this important period, which has been called the 'Cinderella' of English historical linguistics because of its lack of representation in scholarly literature.This book is sociohistorical in orientation, arguing that social changes in the Anglophone world need to be taken into account if we are to understand the linguistic changes that occurred during this period. Further chapters deal with changes in vocabulary, syntax and morphology and phonology and with the attempts of lexicographers, grammarians and elocutionists to arrest and control these changes by codifying the language. Unlike many earlier histories of English, 'English in Modern Times' does not define 'English' as confined to Standard (English) English, but also considers the development of extraterritorial Englishes and non-standard varieties of British English in the Later Modern period.

This Handbook provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge overview of the field of linguistic prescriptivism. Mapping the current status quo of the field and marking its two-decade transformation into a serious field of study within linguistics, this volume addresses both the value and the methods of studying prescriptivism. It covers:• Theoretical and methodological approaches – from historical to experimental approaches and including corpus-based methods and attitudes research;• Contexts in which prescriptive efforts can be both observed and studied – including education, technology, the media, language planning and policies, and everyday grassroots practices;• Geographical contexts of prescriptivism – featuring chapters on inner- and outer-circle Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, as well as prescriptivism in the context of other world languages including minority and endangered languages.With contributions from an international line-up of leading and rising-star scholars in the field, The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Prescriptivism marks the evolution of linguistics as a fully self- aware discipline and will be an indispensable guide for students and researchers in this area.

This Handbook provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge overview of the field of linguistic prescriptivism. Mapping the current status quo of the field and marking its two-decade transformation into a serious field of study within linguistics, this volume addresses both the value and the methods of studying prescriptivism. It covers:• Theoretical and methodological approaches – from historical to experimental approaches and including corpus-based methods and attitudes research;• Contexts in which prescriptive efforts can be both observed and studied – including education, technology, the media, language planning and policies, and everyday grassroots practices;• Geographical contexts of prescriptivism – featuring chapters on inner- and outer-circle Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, as well as prescriptivism in the context of other world languages including minority and endangered languages.With contributions from an international line-up of leading and rising-star scholars in the field, The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Prescriptivism marks the evolution of linguistics as a fully self- aware discipline and will be an indispensable guide for students and researchers in this area.

Are the dialects of England disappearing in the wake of globalisation and ‘Estuary English’, or are geographical differences as strong as ever? Joan Beal looks at recent research into regional variation in England, discusses the evidence for ‘dialect levelling’ and argues that, despite this, features of dialect are still clear markers of regional and local identity. Chapters outlining the main regional differences in accent, dialect grammar and dialect vocabulary are followed by discussions of research into geographical diffusion, levelling, issues of identity and stereotypes. Each chapter is accompanied by either an exercise based on data provided, a data-gathering exercise using methodological tools provided, or an extract from a media article provided to provoke discussion. The book also includes a guide to resources available for the study of regional dialects in England.Features:* An up-to-date account of research into regional variation in England* A practical, ‘hands on’ approach, providing the reader with the methods and resources to carry out research projects* Includes exercises for use in class.

How language change manifests itself in the history of English is the primary focus of this volume. It considers the transmission of English though dictionaries and grammars down to the digital means found today. The chapters investigate various issues in language change, for instance what role internal and external factors played throughout history. There are several chapters dedicated to change in different areas and on different levels of language, includinginvestigations of the verbal system, of adverbs, of negation and case variation in English as well as more recent instances of syntactic change. This volume also looks atissues such as style and spelling practices which fed into emergent standard writing, and the complex issue of linguistic prescriptivism, with chapters on linguistic ideology, phonological standards and the codification of English in dictionaries. Itconcludes with a consideration of networks and communities of practice and also of the historical enregisterment of linguistic features.

A comprehensive yet concise history of the English language, this accessible textbook helps those studying the subject to understand the formation of English. It tells the story of the language from its remote ancestry to the present day, especially the effects of globalisation and the spread of, and subsequent changes to, English. Now in its third edition, it has been substantially revised and updated in light of new research, with an extended chapter on World Englishes, and a completely updated final chapter, which concentrate on changes to English in the twenty-first century. It makes difficult concepts very easy to understand, and the chapters are set out to make the most of the wide range of topics covered, using dozens of familiar texts, including the English of King Alfred, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Addison. It is accompanied by a website with exercises for each chapter, and a range of extra resources.

A comprehensive yet concise history of the English language, this accessible textbook helps those studying the subject to understand the formation of English. It tells the story of the language from its remote ancestry to the present day, especially the effects of globalisation and the spread of, and subsequent changes to, English. Now in its third edition, it has been substantially revised and updated in light of new research, with an extended chapter on World Englishes, and a completely updated final chapter, which concentrate on changes to English in the twenty-first century. It makes difficult concepts very easy to understand, and the chapters are set out to make the most of the wide range of topics covered, using dozens of familiar texts, including the English of King Alfred, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Addison. It is accompanied by a website with exercises for each chapter, and a range of extra resources.

English in Modern Times describes the development of the English language from 1700 until 1945, and argues that it is in the course of this later modern English period that the characteristics of 'modern' English evolved. This is the first undergraduate text to cover the whole of this important period, which has been called the 'Cinderella' of English historical linguistics because of its lack of representation in scholarly literature.This book is sociohistorical in orientation, arguing that social changes in the Anglophone world need to be taken into account if we are to understand the linguistic changes that occurred during this period. Further chapters deal with changes in vocabulary, syntax and morphology and phonology and with the attempts of lexicographers, grammarians and elocutionists to arrest and control these changes by codifying the language. Unlike many earlier histories of English, 'English in Modern Times' does not define 'English' as confined to Standard (English) English, but also considers the development of extraterritorial Englishes and non-standard varieties of British English in the Later Modern period.

The colloquium Perspectives on Prescriptivism (20-22 April 2006) was hosted by the University of Catania – Faculty of Foreign Languages – in Ragusa. Until very recently, the received view among linguists was that prescriptivism was a ‘bad thing’, something only worth considering in order to condemn it as a product of unenlightened thinking. The organisers wished to encourage participants to look at linguistic prescriptivism from a wide range of perspectives. Some of the main questions asked were: To what extent is the concept of prescriptivism to be considered a typical product of the 18th century? What is the attitude of 21st-century scholars and language guardians towards linguistic ‘correctness’? To what extent were books more prescriptive – rather than descriptive – in what has generally been described as ‘the age of correctness’? Some of the answers are to be found in this volume.