D. Gary Miller
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199285051
- eISBN:
- 9780191713682
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199285051.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This comparative lexicographical account of Latin suffixes in English explores the rich variety of English loanwords formed by the addition of one or more Latin-derived suffixes, such as -ial, -able, ...
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This comparative lexicographical account of Latin suffixes in English explores the rich variety of English loanwords formed by the addition of one or more Latin-derived suffixes, such as -ial, -able, -ability, and -id. It traces the histories of over 3,000 words, revealing the range of derivational patterns in Indo-European, Latin, and English. It describes the different kinds of suffixes, shows how they entered English via different channels at different times (especially French and Anglo-French), and considers the complexity of competition between native Germanic and borrowed forms. The Proto-Indo-European ancestry of each formative is discussed, if known. The information that etymological dictionaries supply for root origins is thus provided for suffixes. This is followed by a sketch of the suffix’s synchronic status in Latin, and a statement concerning its relative productivity in English word formation. Finally, the book contains a list of the Indo-European roots cited.Less
This comparative lexicographical account of Latin suffixes in English explores the rich variety of English loanwords formed by the addition of one or more Latin-derived suffixes, such as -ial, -able, -ability, and -id. It traces the histories of over 3,000 words, revealing the range of derivational patterns in Indo-European, Latin, and English. It describes the different kinds of suffixes, shows how they entered English via different channels at different times (especially French and Anglo-French), and considers the complexity of competition between native Germanic and borrowed forms. The Proto-Indo-European ancestry of each formative is discussed, if known. The information that etymological dictionaries supply for root origins is thus provided for suffixes. This is followed by a sketch of the suffix’s synchronic status in Latin, and a statement concerning its relative productivity in English word formation. Finally, the book contains a list of the Indo-European roots cited.
Cynthia L. Allen
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199216680
- eISBN:
- 9780191711893
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216680.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, English Language
This book examines the history of adnominal genitive phrases from Old to Early Modern English, focusing on the evidence provided by a systematic corpus study and the role of linguistic typology in ...
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This book examines the history of adnominal genitive phrases from Old to Early Modern English, focusing on the evidence provided by a systematic corpus study and the role of linguistic typology in diachronic syntax. It is argued that arguments based on typology should not outweigh the evidence presented by the texts. Particular attention is paid to the nature of the possessive marker in Middle English, since previous studies, which have concluded that the marker was a clitic at an early stage, suffer from an inadequate empirical base. Two chapters are devoted to establishing that the ‘his genitive’ found in many early texts is not to be equated with the possessor doubling construction found in many Germanic languages. The relationship between possessives and determiners in earlier English is also examined.Less
This book examines the history of adnominal genitive phrases from Old to Early Modern English, focusing on the evidence provided by a systematic corpus study and the role of linguistic typology in diachronic syntax. It is argued that arguments based on typology should not outweigh the evidence presented by the texts. Particular attention is paid to the nature of the possessive marker in Middle English, since previous studies, which have concluded that the marker was a clitic at an early stage, suffer from an inadequate empirical base. Two chapters are devoted to establishing that the ‘his genitive’ found in many early texts is not to be equated with the possessor doubling construction found in many Germanic languages. The relationship between possessives and determiners in earlier English is also examined.
Duncan Bell
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780197265871
- eISBN:
- 9780191772030
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265871.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This essay analyses E. A. Freeman’s views on the past, present, and future of the British Empire. It elucidates in particular how his understanding of Aryan racial history and the glories of Ancient ...
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This essay analyses E. A. Freeman’s views on the past, present, and future of the British Empire. It elucidates in particular how his understanding of Aryan racial history and the glories of Ancient Greece helped to shape his account of the British Empire and its pathologies. Freeman was deeply critical of both the British Empire in India and projects for Imperial Federation. Yet he was no ‘little Englander.’ Indeed, it is argued that Freeman’s scepticism about modern European forms of empire-building was informed by an ambition to establish a globe-spanning political community composed of the ‘English-speaking peoples’. At the core of this imagined racial community, united by kinship and common citizenship, stood the Anglo-American connection, and Freeman repeatedly sought to convince people on both sides of the Atlantic about their collective history and their shared destiny. For Freeman, the institutions of formal empire stood in the way of this grandiose vision of world order.Less
This essay analyses E. A. Freeman’s views on the past, present, and future of the British Empire. It elucidates in particular how his understanding of Aryan racial history and the glories of Ancient Greece helped to shape his account of the British Empire and its pathologies. Freeman was deeply critical of both the British Empire in India and projects for Imperial Federation. Yet he was no ‘little Englander.’ Indeed, it is argued that Freeman’s scepticism about modern European forms of empire-building was informed by an ambition to establish a globe-spanning political community composed of the ‘English-speaking peoples’. At the core of this imagined racial community, united by kinship and common citizenship, stood the Anglo-American connection, and Freeman repeatedly sought to convince people on both sides of the Atlantic about their collective history and their shared destiny. For Freeman, the institutions of formal empire stood in the way of this grandiose vision of world order.
Richard J. Watts
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195327601
- eISBN:
- 9780199893539
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327601.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This book aims to deconstruct the myths that are traditionally reproduced as factual accounts of the historical development of English, and to reveal new myths that are currently being ...
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This book aims to deconstruct the myths that are traditionally reproduced as factual accounts of the historical development of English, and to reveal new myths that are currently being constructed. Using concepts and interpretive sensibilities developed in the field of sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and sociocognitive linguistics over the past 40 years, the book unearths these myths and exposes their ideological roots. Based on the assumption that conventional histories of English are histories of standard English rather than histories of the varieties of English, he sets his goal as being not to construct an alternative discourse, but rather to offer alternative readings of the historical data. It defines what we mean by a linguistic ideology and shows how language myths, rather than simply being untruths about language, are derived from conceptual metaphors of language and are crucial in the formation of hegemonic discourses on language. He argues, in effect, that no discourse—a hegemonic discourse, an alternative discourse, or even a deconstructive discourse—can ever be free of ideology. The book argues that a naturalized discourse is always built on a foundation of myths, which are all too easily taken as true accounts, and is a call to study alternative ways in which the full range of “Englishes” may ultimately be accounted for historically. But the book also issues the warning that, whatever new histories are proposed, they, too, will ultimately need to undergo a thorough investigation with regard to the myths that may underlie them.Less
This book aims to deconstruct the myths that are traditionally reproduced as factual accounts of the historical development of English, and to reveal new myths that are currently being constructed. Using concepts and interpretive sensibilities developed in the field of sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and sociocognitive linguistics over the past 40 years, the book unearths these myths and exposes their ideological roots. Based on the assumption that conventional histories of English are histories of standard English rather than histories of the varieties of English, he sets his goal as being not to construct an alternative discourse, but rather to offer alternative readings of the historical data. It defines what we mean by a linguistic ideology and shows how language myths, rather than simply being untruths about language, are derived from conceptual metaphors of language and are crucial in the formation of hegemonic discourses on language. He argues, in effect, that no discourse—a hegemonic discourse, an alternative discourse, or even a deconstructive discourse—can ever be free of ideology. The book argues that a naturalized discourse is always built on a foundation of myths, which are all too easily taken as true accounts, and is a call to study alternative ways in which the full range of “Englishes” may ultimately be accounted for historically. But the book also issues the warning that, whatever new histories are proposed, they, too, will ultimately need to undergo a thorough investigation with regard to the myths that may underlie them.
R. W. Kostal
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199551941
- eISBN:
- 9780191714320
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199551941.003.0010
- Subject:
- Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law, Legal History
This concluding essay examines the nature and significance of the Jamaica controversy in the wider sweep of modern English political and legal history. That the Jamaica affair became so thoroughly ...
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This concluding essay examines the nature and significance of the Jamaica controversy in the wider sweep of modern English political and legal history. That the Jamaica affair became so thoroughly infused with legal ideas and procedures is a trademark of English political culture. With the advent of the Jamaica affair, leading Englishmen like John Stuart Mill attempted to use the courts to resolve (what is identified as) a defining contradiction of mid-Victorian English politics: the simultaneous commitment to law and empire. For a host of reasons their initiative failed. While the Jamaica litigation generated a number of important judicial pronouncements on the English jurisprudence of political and military power, the courts could not, perhaps cannot, provide a definitive resolution to what, after all, are timeless and intractable issues at the core of political liberalism.Less
This concluding essay examines the nature and significance of the Jamaica controversy in the wider sweep of modern English political and legal history. That the Jamaica affair became so thoroughly infused with legal ideas and procedures is a trademark of English political culture. With the advent of the Jamaica affair, leading Englishmen like John Stuart Mill attempted to use the courts to resolve (what is identified as) a defining contradiction of mid-Victorian English politics: the simultaneous commitment to law and empire. For a host of reasons their initiative failed. While the Jamaica litigation generated a number of important judicial pronouncements on the English jurisprudence of political and military power, the courts could not, perhaps cannot, provide a definitive resolution to what, after all, are timeless and intractable issues at the core of political liberalism.
Richard J. Watts
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195327601
- eISBN:
- 9780199893539
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327601.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
The opening chapter sets the scene with respect to ways in which language ideologies evolve discursively. The argument is sociocognitive. At the bottom of all discursive activity lie conceptual ...
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The opening chapter sets the scene with respect to ways in which language ideologies evolve discursively. The argument is sociocognitive. At the bottom of all discursive activity lie conceptual metaphors of language and other related abstract concepts such as the “nation-state”. Possible statements derived from these conceptual metaphors form the stuff of which culturally valid myths are constructed, and these drive the construction of hegemonic discourses on language. As no discursive formations can be free of ideology (in the political and nonpolitical sense of the term), hegemonic discourses will eventually lead to the formation of discourse archives, in which certain things may be said (i.e., are “true”) and others not, and it is through the power of archives to shape our construction of the language worlds in which we live that canonical “histories” appear. A further argument here is that canons, linguistic or literary, must be challenged.Less
The opening chapter sets the scene with respect to ways in which language ideologies evolve discursively. The argument is sociocognitive. At the bottom of all discursive activity lie conceptual metaphors of language and other related abstract concepts such as the “nation-state”. Possible statements derived from these conceptual metaphors form the stuff of which culturally valid myths are constructed, and these drive the construction of hegemonic discourses on language. As no discursive formations can be free of ideology (in the political and nonpolitical sense of the term), hegemonic discourses will eventually lead to the formation of discourse archives, in which certain things may be said (i.e., are “true”) and others not, and it is through the power of archives to shape our construction of the language worlds in which we live that canonical “histories” appear. A further argument here is that canons, linguistic or literary, must be challenged.
Ann Taylor and Susan Pintzuk
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199860210
- eISBN:
- 9780199949601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199860210.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
It has often been claimed that crosslinguistically the position of DPs in the clause is influenced by information structure: given information comes early, with new information placed late. This ...
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It has often been claimed that crosslinguistically the position of DPs in the clause is influenced by information structure: given information comes early, with new information placed late. This chapter reports on a small pilot study, the first step in a planned exploration of the roles of syntax and information structure in the positioning of objects in the history of English. The study confirms that at least in one Old English clause type—subordinate clauses with finite main verbs—there is indeed a significant correlation between object position and information status. It establishes that object weight is also significant and independent from information status. Finally, it is shown that as object position becomes more fixed, the proportion of new objects in postverbal position approaches the overall proportion of new objects for the clause type. This demonstrates that even within the Old English period, a correlation exists between the increasingly fixed object position and the decreasing role of information status.Less
It has often been claimed that crosslinguistically the position of DPs in the clause is influenced by information structure: given information comes early, with new information placed late. This chapter reports on a small pilot study, the first step in a planned exploration of the roles of syntax and information structure in the positioning of objects in the history of English. The study confirms that at least in one Old English clause type—subordinate clauses with finite main verbs—there is indeed a significant correlation between object position and information status. It establishes that object weight is also significant and independent from information status. Finally, it is shown that as object position becomes more fixed, the proportion of new objects in postverbal position approaches the overall proportion of new objects for the clause type. This demonstrates that even within the Old English period, a correlation exists between the increasingly fixed object position and the decreasing role of information status.
Donald Ringe (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199284139
- eISBN:
- 9780191712562
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284139.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This volume traces the prehistory of English from Proto-Indo-European, its earliest reconstructable ancestor, to Proto-Germanic, the latest ancestor shared by all the Germanic languages. It begins ...
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This volume traces the prehistory of English from Proto-Indo-European, its earliest reconstructable ancestor, to Proto-Germanic, the latest ancestor shared by all the Germanic languages. It begins with a grammatical sketch of Proto-Indo-European, then discusses in detail the linguistic changes — especially in phonology and morphology — that occurred in the development to Proto-Germanic. The final chapter presents a grammatical sketch of Proto-Germanic. This is the first volume of a linguistic history of English. It is written for fellow-linguists who are not specialists in historical linguistics, especially for theoretical linguists. Its primary purpose is to provide accurate information about linguistic changes in an accessible conceptual framework. A secondary purpose is to begin the compilation of a reliable corpus of phonological and morphological changes to improve the empirical basis of the understanding of historical phonology and morphology.Less
This volume traces the prehistory of English from Proto-Indo-European, its earliest reconstructable ancestor, to Proto-Germanic, the latest ancestor shared by all the Germanic languages. It begins with a grammatical sketch of Proto-Indo-European, then discusses in detail the linguistic changes — especially in phonology and morphology — that occurred in the development to Proto-Germanic. The final chapter presents a grammatical sketch of Proto-Germanic. This is the first volume of a linguistic history of English. It is written for fellow-linguists who are not specialists in historical linguistics, especially for theoretical linguists. Its primary purpose is to provide accurate information about linguistic changes in an accessible conceptual framework. A secondary purpose is to begin the compilation of a reliable corpus of phonological and morphological changes to improve the empirical basis of the understanding of historical phonology and morphology.
Peter J. Kalliney
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199977970
- eISBN:
- 9780199346189
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199977970.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism, Criticism/Theory
Chapter Three examines the influence of FR Leavis, architect of the Great Tradition, on the thinking of Kamau Brathwaite and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, two of the leading theorists of postcolonial ...
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Chapter Three examines the influence of FR Leavis, architect of the Great Tradition, on the thinking of Kamau Brathwaite and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, two of the leading theorists of postcolonial literature. The chapter argues that Leavis's emphasis on a "living language," as he called it - that is, his belief that a robust spoken dialect is the basis of any great literary tradition - would be rearticulated by Brathwaite and Ngũgĩ in their calls for vernacular literature. The chapter goes on to discuss the close but fractious connections between the English department and postcolonial literature, arguing that Leavis's complex professional relationship with the discipline was one of his major bequests to postcolonial studies.Less
Chapter Three examines the influence of FR Leavis, architect of the Great Tradition, on the thinking of Kamau Brathwaite and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, two of the leading theorists of postcolonial literature. The chapter argues that Leavis's emphasis on a "living language," as he called it - that is, his belief that a robust spoken dialect is the basis of any great literary tradition - would be rearticulated by Brathwaite and Ngũgĩ in their calls for vernacular literature. The chapter goes on to discuss the close but fractious connections between the English department and postcolonial literature, arguing that Leavis's complex professional relationship with the discipline was one of his major bequests to postcolonial studies.
Benjamin A. Saltzman
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.003.0019
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter discusses the incorporation of World Englishes into a History of the English Language (HEL) course, addressing questions about how to grapple with the geographical and geopolitical ...
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This chapter discusses the incorporation of World Englishes into a History of the English Language (HEL) course, addressing questions about how to grapple with the geographical and geopolitical planes along which World Englishes have grown. Other questions considered here include diachronic formation, cultural contexts, relationships with other languages, and effects of globalization on forms of English that are both related to and yet quite distinct from the model of Standard English that frequently orients the HEL course. Two possible strategies for incorporating World Englishes into an HEL course are suggested. One strategy consists of focused lectures on the external history, social and cultural influences, linguistic features, and so on, of just one or two World English varieties, which can be combined with a second strategy that involves handing the research and even some of the teaching over to the students.Less
This chapter discusses the incorporation of World Englishes into a History of the English Language (HEL) course, addressing questions about how to grapple with the geographical and geopolitical planes along which World Englishes have grown. Other questions considered here include diachronic formation, cultural contexts, relationships with other languages, and effects of globalization on forms of English that are both related to and yet quite distinct from the model of Standard English that frequently orients the HEL course. Two possible strategies for incorporating World Englishes into an HEL course are suggested. One strategy consists of focused lectures on the external history, social and cultural influences, linguistic features, and so on, of just one or two World English varieties, which can be combined with a second strategy that involves handing the research and even some of the teaching over to the students.
Peter J. Kalliney
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199977970
- eISBN:
- 9780199346189
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199977970.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism, Criticism/Theory
Chapter Six examines Heinemann Educational Book's African Writers Series, the preeminent literary institution of anglophone Africa. Critics have repeatedly asked whether the series is fundamentally ...
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Chapter Six examines Heinemann Educational Book's African Writers Series, the preeminent literary institution of anglophone Africa. Critics have repeatedly asked whether the series is fundamentally imperialist - because of its links to the metropolitan publishing industry - or anti-imperialist - because it gave voice to so many politically engaged writers. This chapter, by contrast, places the series in the context of global changes in English studies. In the US and in metropolitan Britain, the series seemed to be participating in the fragmentation of the discipline: the breakup of Leavis's Great Tradition and the incorporation of minority writers into the canon. In Africa, however, it is possible to read the series as a part of an expansion and consolidation of English language and literary studies. How the series managed this apparent contradiction is the main topic of the chapter.Less
Chapter Six examines Heinemann Educational Book's African Writers Series, the preeminent literary institution of anglophone Africa. Critics have repeatedly asked whether the series is fundamentally imperialist - because of its links to the metropolitan publishing industry - or anti-imperialist - because it gave voice to so many politically engaged writers. This chapter, by contrast, places the series in the context of global changes in English studies. In the US and in metropolitan Britain, the series seemed to be participating in the fragmentation of the discipline: the breakup of Leavis's Great Tradition and the incorporation of minority writers into the canon. In Africa, however, it is possible to read the series as a part of an expansion and consolidation of English language and literary studies. How the series managed this apparent contradiction is the main topic of the chapter.
Emily Jones
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198799429
- eISBN:
- 9780191839665
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198799429.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, Political History
The construction of Burke as the ‘founder of conservatism’ was also a product of developments in education. The increasing study of Burke arose out of several converging movements: in publishing and ...
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The construction of Burke as the ‘founder of conservatism’ was also a product of developments in education. The increasing study of Burke arose out of several converging movements: in publishing and technology; in philosophical thought; in the increasing disposable income and leisure time of greater portions of the population; and in education movements for men and women at all levels. The popularity of topics such as the French Revolution, Romanticism, and late eighteenth-century history meant that Burke became a feature of lectures and examinations. At university, Burke was of particular interest to philosophical Idealists, English literature professors and students, and a generation of historians who taught increasingly modern courses. By analysing how Burke was studied at this much more popular, general level it is possible to pinpoint how Burke’s ‘conservative’ political thought was taught to swathes of new students—it took more than gentlemanly erudition to establish a scholarly orthodoxy.Less
The construction of Burke as the ‘founder of conservatism’ was also a product of developments in education. The increasing study of Burke arose out of several converging movements: in publishing and technology; in philosophical thought; in the increasing disposable income and leisure time of greater portions of the population; and in education movements for men and women at all levels. The popularity of topics such as the French Revolution, Romanticism, and late eighteenth-century history meant that Burke became a feature of lectures and examinations. At university, Burke was of particular interest to philosophical Idealists, English literature professors and students, and a generation of historians who taught increasingly modern courses. By analysing how Burke was studied at this much more popular, general level it is possible to pinpoint how Burke’s ‘conservative’ political thought was taught to swathes of new students—it took more than gentlemanly erudition to establish a scholarly orthodoxy.
Mary Hayes and Allison Burkette (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Approaches to Teaching the History of the English Language: Pedagogy in Practice consists of commissioned chapters, each of which focuses on an issue relevant to teaching the History of the English ...
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Approaches to Teaching the History of the English Language: Pedagogy in Practice consists of commissioned chapters, each of which focuses on an issue relevant to teaching the History of the English Language (HEL) in contemporary colleges and universities. The volume reads as a series of “master classes” taught by experienced instructors who explain the pedagogical challenges that inspired resourceful teaching practices. Although its chapters are authored by seasoned academics, many of whom are preeminent scholars in their individual fields, the book is designed for instructors at any career stage, beginners and veterans alike. In turn, the diverse profile of the book’s contributors suggests how HEL, though a traditional curriculum, in fact serves as a cynosure for innovative and multidisciplinary scholarship.Less
Approaches to Teaching the History of the English Language: Pedagogy in Practice consists of commissioned chapters, each of which focuses on an issue relevant to teaching the History of the English Language (HEL) in contemporary colleges and universities. The volume reads as a series of “master classes” taught by experienced instructors who explain the pedagogical challenges that inspired resourceful teaching practices. Although its chapters are authored by seasoned academics, many of whom are preeminent scholars in their individual fields, the book is designed for instructors at any career stage, beginners and veterans alike. In turn, the diverse profile of the book’s contributors suggests how HEL, though a traditional curriculum, in fact serves as a cynosure for innovative and multidisciplinary scholarship.
Michael Adams
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.003.0014
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Dictionaries—especially historical dictionaries—are full of historical facts and judgments about English. Thus, students can find out a lot about English by looking in dictionaries. But they can ...
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Dictionaries—especially historical dictionaries—are full of historical facts and judgments about English. Thus, students can find out a lot about English by looking in dictionaries. But they can learn things about the history of English by looking at dictionaries, too. As cultural artifacts, dictionaries help to bridge so-called inner and outer histories of English, which at times seem almost to be competitive concerns in the history of English classroom. Perhaps most important, students in a history of English course can make glossaries and dictionaries, individually or in groups, even groups as large as a whole class. In writing such a glossary, a student isn’t just writing about the history of English but is actually being a historian of English, and the experience, as well as the knowledge it produces, is likely to stay with the student for a long time.Less
Dictionaries—especially historical dictionaries—are full of historical facts and judgments about English. Thus, students can find out a lot about English by looking in dictionaries. But they can learn things about the history of English by looking at dictionaries, too. As cultural artifacts, dictionaries help to bridge so-called inner and outer histories of English, which at times seem almost to be competitive concerns in the history of English classroom. Perhaps most important, students in a history of English course can make glossaries and dictionaries, individually or in groups, even groups as large as a whole class. In writing such a glossary, a student isn’t just writing about the history of English but is actually being a historian of English, and the experience, as well as the knowledge it produces, is likely to stay with the student for a long time.
Haruko Momma
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.003.0017
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter appeals to the early reception history of Beowulf to show why Old English remains an integral part of the history of the English language. It explains via examples how even a small ...
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This chapter appeals to the early reception history of Beowulf to show why Old English remains an integral part of the history of the English language. It explains via examples how even a small amount of knowledge of the vernacular of England before 1066 is advantageous for the study of English from later periods and different geographical locations. As implied by its aliases “Saxon” and “Anglo-Saxon,” Beowulf’s language was not recognized as English until the 1870s. Nineteenth-century philology gave rise not only to Beowulf studies but also to the history of English as we know it. This chapter compares publications on the history of the English language as a case study to show how the approach to the subject changed after the introduction of the “new philology” in the nineteenth century.Less
This chapter appeals to the early reception history of Beowulf to show why Old English remains an integral part of the history of the English language. It explains via examples how even a small amount of knowledge of the vernacular of England before 1066 is advantageous for the study of English from later periods and different geographical locations. As implied by its aliases “Saxon” and “Anglo-Saxon,” Beowulf’s language was not recognized as English until the 1870s. Nineteenth-century philology gave rise not only to Beowulf studies but also to the history of English as we know it. This chapter compares publications on the history of the English language as a case study to show how the approach to the subject changed after the introduction of the “new philology” in the nineteenth century.
Salikoko S. Mufwene
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.003.0020
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
What follows is a contact-based account of the emergence of English. Though the role of language contact in the development of World Englishes is often addressed as a coda within History of the ...
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What follows is a contact-based account of the emergence of English. Though the role of language contact in the development of World Englishes is often addressed as a coda within History of the English Language (HEL) courses, this chapter presents an alternative story, highlighting contact situations in Old English, Middle English, and Early Modern English. The creolist perspective offered here suggests that History of English instructors should look closer at the received doctrine of HEL and consider whether an ecological model should not be used to make sense of the story of Englishes. A periodized history of colonization and of the ensuing population structures that influence language contact appears to explain a great deal about the differential evolution of English in various parts of the world, including what distinguishes colonial English dialects from their creole counterparts.Less
What follows is a contact-based account of the emergence of English. Though the role of language contact in the development of World Englishes is often addressed as a coda within History of the English Language (HEL) courses, this chapter presents an alternative story, highlighting contact situations in Old English, Middle English, and Early Modern English. The creolist perspective offered here suggests that History of English instructors should look closer at the received doctrine of HEL and consider whether an ecological model should not be used to make sense of the story of Englishes. A periodized history of colonization and of the ensuing population structures that influence language contact appears to explain a great deal about the differential evolution of English in various parts of the world, including what distinguishes colonial English dialects from their creole counterparts.
Allison Burkette
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.003.0023
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter provides some suggestions for the inclusion of the history of American English into the larger context of the History of the English Language (HEL). By touching on themes found ...
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This chapter provides some suggestions for the inclusion of the history of American English into the larger context of the History of the English Language (HEL). By touching on themes found throughout within the external and internal history of English, for example, language contact and specific morphological and phonological processes, respectively, one can include lessons on American English and its varieties as an extension of the History of English, demonstrating to students that language “evolution” is an ongoing process and that variation within the language is a natural result of historical, linguistic, and social forces. This chapter begins with a (brief) general narrative of the development of American English and then offers a series of possible themes that could be incorporated into a HEL class for special focus, along with assignments and/or additional resources that encourage students to engage with the focus topics more deeply.Less
This chapter provides some suggestions for the inclusion of the history of American English into the larger context of the History of the English Language (HEL). By touching on themes found throughout within the external and internal history of English, for example, language contact and specific morphological and phonological processes, respectively, one can include lessons on American English and its varieties as an extension of the History of English, demonstrating to students that language “evolution” is an ongoing process and that variation within the language is a natural result of historical, linguistic, and social forces. This chapter begins with a (brief) general narrative of the development of American English and then offers a series of possible themes that could be incorporated into a HEL class for special focus, along with assignments and/or additional resources that encourage students to engage with the focus topics more deeply.
Rajend Mesthrie
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter addresses how the history of English as a linguistic topic has been taught in one South African university. The author focuses on the traditional Old–Middle–Modern English trichotomy as ...
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This chapter addresses how the history of English as a linguistic topic has been taught in one South African university. The author focuses on the traditional Old–Middle–Modern English trichotomy as well as colonial and postcolonial synchronic varieties. Subsequent to a curricular shift from historical to applied linguistics in English departments, students taking History of the English Language (HEL) come to the course with little or no background in Old and Middle English. The author offers practical examples of how he accommodated this change in student preparation. Additionally, he addresses how the postcolonial era and globalisation have “revitalised the story of English.” Pidgins, Creoles, and World Englishes problematise the earlier genealogy of the Standard Language, making a linear history less easy to uphold. The author’s discussion of his complementary “Pidgins, Creoles, and New Englishes” course includes helpful pointers to instructors teaching these varieties within a HEL course.Less
This chapter addresses how the history of English as a linguistic topic has been taught in one South African university. The author focuses on the traditional Old–Middle–Modern English trichotomy as well as colonial and postcolonial synchronic varieties. Subsequent to a curricular shift from historical to applied linguistics in English departments, students taking History of the English Language (HEL) come to the course with little or no background in Old and Middle English. The author offers practical examples of how he accommodated this change in student preparation. Additionally, he addresses how the postcolonial era and globalisation have “revitalised the story of English.” Pidgins, Creoles, and World Englishes problematise the earlier genealogy of the Standard Language, making a linear history less easy to uphold. The author’s discussion of his complementary “Pidgins, Creoles, and New Englishes” course includes helpful pointers to instructors teaching these varieties within a HEL course.
Seth Lerer
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
The History of the English Language (HEL) is a largely ideological enterprise keyed to fitting literary evidence into expected categories, and yet recent work has suggested that we can no longer ...
More
The History of the English Language (HEL) is a largely ideological enterprise keyed to fitting literary evidence into expected categories, and yet recent work has suggested that we can no longer simply assume that phenomena such as the Great Vowel Shift were “real,” historical, systematic changes. Contemporary debates on language change and use have historical precedent; social arguments about language are part of a very long tradition; languages in contact have generated linguistic change and adaptation, and language and national identity, as well as personal self-consciousness, have long gone together. This chapter will explore the ways in which the historical and institutional associations of HEL and the “medievalist” are contingently driven, and then to suggest some ways in which the redefinition of the “medievalist” in the twenty-first century can productively include a newer, critical sensibility about the place of HEL in the teachings of social vernacular literacy.Less
The History of the English Language (HEL) is a largely ideological enterprise keyed to fitting literary evidence into expected categories, and yet recent work has suggested that we can no longer simply assume that phenomena such as the Great Vowel Shift were “real,” historical, systematic changes. Contemporary debates on language change and use have historical precedent; social arguments about language are part of a very long tradition; languages in contact have generated linguistic change and adaptation, and language and national identity, as well as personal self-consciousness, have long gone together. This chapter will explore the ways in which the historical and institutional associations of HEL and the “medievalist” are contingently driven, and then to suggest some ways in which the redefinition of the “medievalist” in the twenty-first century can productively include a newer, critical sensibility about the place of HEL in the teachings of social vernacular literacy.
Mary Hayes and Allison Burkette
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190611040
- eISBN:
- 9780190611071
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190611040.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This introductory chapter addresses the challenges and opportunities that come with teaching the History of the English Language (HEL). HEL is a traditional course whose instructors are tasked with ...
More
This introductory chapter addresses the challenges and opportunities that come with teaching the History of the English Language (HEL). HEL is a traditional course whose instructors are tasked with balancing a great number of institutional, curricular, and student needs. Additionally, the course’s prodigious subject poses challenges for new as well as veteran instructors, few of whom have comprehensive training in English linguistics, literature, and the language’s historical varieties. The course encompasses a broad chronological, geographic, and disciplinary scope and, in the twenty-first-century classroom, has come to account for English’s transformative relationship with the internet and social media. In Approaches to Teaching the History of the English Language, experienced instructors explain the influences and ingenuity behind their own successful pedagogical practices. This introduction explains the value of that approach. Additionally, it includes a survey of the volume’s scope and organization.Less
This introductory chapter addresses the challenges and opportunities that come with teaching the History of the English Language (HEL). HEL is a traditional course whose instructors are tasked with balancing a great number of institutional, curricular, and student needs. Additionally, the course’s prodigious subject poses challenges for new as well as veteran instructors, few of whom have comprehensive training in English linguistics, literature, and the language’s historical varieties. The course encompasses a broad chronological, geographic, and disciplinary scope and, in the twenty-first-century classroom, has come to account for English’s transformative relationship with the internet and social media. In Approaches to Teaching the History of the English Language, experienced instructors explain the influences and ingenuity behind their own successful pedagogical practices. This introduction explains the value of that approach. Additionally, it includes a survey of the volume’s scope and organization.
