Standardizing Written English : Diffusion In The Case Of Scotland, 1520-1659

Devitt, Amy J.

ISBN 10: 0521364469 / ISBN 13: 9780521364461

Published by Cambridge University Press, 1989

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Synopsis:

Professor Devitt offers a new view of the linguistic process of standardization, the movement of specific language features towards uniformity. Drawing on theoretical arguments and empirical data, she examines the way in which linguistic conformity develops out of variation, and the textual and social factors that influence this process. After defining and clarifying the general theoretical issues involved, the author takes as a specific case study the standardization of written English in Scotland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and shows that standardization is a gradual process, that it occurs at significantly different rates and times in different genres, that it encompasses periods of great variation, and that it occurs concurrently with sociopolitical shifts. The interrelationship of linguistic features, genres, and social pressures shape the nature and direction of standardization.

Book Description: This book offers a new view of the linguistic process of standardization, the movement of specific language features towards uniformity. Drawing on theoretical arguments and empirical data, it examines the way in which linguistic conformity develops out of variation, and the textual and social factors which influence this process.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Standardizing Written English : Diffusion In...
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication Date: 1989
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: New