Alternative Histories of English

ISBN 10: 0415233569 / ISBN 13: 9780415233569

Published by Routledge, 2001

About this Item

Seller Inventory # I-9780415233569

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Alternative Histories of English
• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415233569
• ISBN 13: 9780415233569
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This groundbreaking collection explores the beliefs and approaches to the history of English that do not make it into standard textbooks.
Orthodox histories have presented a tunnel version of the history of the English language which is sociologically inadequate. In this book a range of leading international scholars show how this focus on standard English dialect is to the detriment of those which are non-standard or from other areas of the world. Alternative Histories of English:
* reveals the range of possible 'narratives' about how different varieties of 'Englishes' may have emerged
* places emphasis on pragmatic, sociolinguistic and discourse-oriented aspects of English rather than the traditional grammar, vocabulary and phonology
* considers diverse topics including South African English, Indian English, Southern Hemisphere Englishes, Early Modern English, women's writing, and politeness.
Presenting a fuller and richer picture of the complexity of the history of English, the contributors to Alternative Histories of English explain why English is the diverse world language it is today.

About the Author

Richard Watts is Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Berne, Switzerland. Peter Trudgill is Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.