Unlock the voice of early Kent and the charters that shaped a language frontier.
This detailed study surveys Kentish documents from the early medieval period, focusing on which charters are truly Kentish, how non-Kentish forms crept in, and what this reveals about regional speech in historic England.
Two concise sections explain the methodology and the dialect analysis, then the book groups charters by date and language, showing how phonology, vowels, and sound changes reveal regional roots. The work ties linguistic evidence to the broader history of Kent, its churches, and its archbishops, offering a rigorous look at the forces that shaped a local vernacular.
- How scholars determine the authenticity and originality of medieval charters.
- Patterns of Kentish speech across three chronological groups of documents.
- Details of phonology, vowel shifts, and diphthongs in the Kentish dialect.
Ideal for readers of historical linguistics, medieval studies, and anyone curious about how language and documents reveal regional identity in early England.