基本説明
A range of international contributors provide accounts of the histories of non-standard, non-British and non-American varieties, non-formal styles and registers, and pragmatic and communicative aspects of English.
Full Description
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.
Contents
Introduction: in the year 2525, Prologue 1 The legitimate language: giving a history to English PART I The history of non-standard varieties of English 2 The history of the lesser-known varieties of English 3 'North of Watford gap': a cultural history of Northern English (from 1700) 4 The history of southern hemisphere Englishes 5 'Deformed in the dialects': an alternative history of non-standard English 6 Building a new English dialect: South African Indian English and the history of Englishes 7 The story of good and bad English in the United States PART II The history of communicative and pragmatic aspects of English 8 From polite language to educated language: the re-emergence of an ideology 9 Eloquence and elegance: ideals of communicative competence in spoken English 10 Women's writings as evidence for linguistic continuity and change in Early Modern English 11 Discourse markers in Early Modern English 12 Broadcasting the nonstandard message
