English: History, Diversity and Change

ISBN-13: 9780415131179 / Angielski / Twarda / 1996 / 406 str.

David Graddol

Opis

The the story of English is often presented as one of progress - from a set of Germanic dialects to a fully-fledged national and international language. However, the emphasis in this book is on the diversity of English throughout its history and the changing social meanings to different varieties of English. Topics include: the history of English, from Old English to the present day; the development of English as a world language; grammar, accents, style shifting and codeswitching; and the notion of good and bad English. The text includes contributions from Nik Coupland, David Graddol, Paul Kerswill, Marie-Noelle Lamy, Dick Leith, Joan Swann, Linda Thomas and Susan Wright, as well as readings from a range of sources.

Recenzje

'The editors present a wealth of evidence of the variety and diversity of English's forms and functions. The book is packed with maps, manuscripts, texts, photographs, graphs, all manner of fascinating information about the English language... an excellent, challenging read for anyone interested in the story of English.' - Rebecca Bunting, Spoken English

'The book's colourful, varied contents will no doubt attract students of Linguistics, Literature and everyone interested in the English language. The authors have done an excellent job in providing this well researched material and keeping the jargon to a minimum, thus making it accessible to every reader.' - Language International

Spis treści

1: English Voices, Joan Swann. 2: English Manuscripts: the Emergence of a Visual Identity, David Graddol. 3: The Origins of English, Dick Leith. 4: Standardization in English, David Graddol and Dick Leith. 5: English Colonial to Post Colonial, Dick Leith. 6: Variation in English Grammar, Linda Thomas. 7: Accents of English, Susan Wright. 8: Style Shifting, Codeswitching , Joan Swann. 9: Good and Bad English, Donald Mackinnon.

O autorze

David Graddol, Dick Leith, Joan Swann