Principles in the emergence and evolution of linguistic features in World Englishes
Principles in the emergence and evolution of linguistic features in World Englishes

Author: Tobias Weber

Publisher: Anchor Academic Publishing (aap_verlag)

Published: 2014-02-01

Total Pages: 97

ISBN-13: 3954896915

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This study deals with different explanatory models for the emergence or existence of linguistic features in varieties of the English language. After a brief overview of the current research, five non-standard varieties from all over the world, ranging from a traditional dialect to pidgins and creoles, are analyzed in two morphosyntactic and two phonological features. The theoretical approaches are discussed with reference to the features, providing recommendations for or advice against certain explanatory models. Finally, Bybee's usage-based functionalist approach and the usage-based synthesis of new-dialect formation according to Ansaldo are highlighted as plausible explanations for the features. Formalist, descriptive universals are rejected in favour of functionalist, cognitive universals in human language processing, acquisition and evolution, as they occur in language contact or speaker contact scenarios - the driving force of language change.

Perspectives on Language Structure and Language Change
Perspectives on Language Structure and Language Change

Author: Lars Heltoft

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2019-06-15

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 9027262632

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume centers on three important theoretical concepts for the study of language change and the ways in which language structure emerges and turns into new structure: reanalysis, actualization, and indexicality. Reanalysis is a part of ongoing everyday language use, a process through which language is reproduced and changed. Actualization refers to the processes through which a reanalyzed structure spreads throughout single communities and society. Indexicality covers the way in which parts of a linguistic system can point to other parts of the system, both syntagmatically and paradigmatically. The inclusion of indexicality leads to fine-grained analysis in morphology, word order, and constructional syntax.

English as a Global Language
English as a Global Language

Author: David Crystal

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-03-29

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1107611806

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Written in a detailed and fascinating manner, this book is ideal for general readers interested in the English language.

Postcolonial English
Postcolonial English

Author: Edgar W. Schneider

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2007-05-17

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 1139463667

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The global spread of English has resulted in the emergence of a diverse range of postcolonial varieties around the world. Postcolonial English provides a clear and original account of the evolution of these varieties, exploring the historical, social and ecological factors that have shaped all levels of their structure. It argues that while these Englishes have developed new and unique properties which differ greatly from one location to another, their spread and diversification can in fact be explained by a single underlying process, which builds upon the constant relationships and communication needs of the colonizers, the colonized, and other parties. Outlining the stages and characteristics of this process, it applies them in detail to English in sixteen different countries across all continents as well as, in a separate chapter, to a history of American English. Of key interest to sociolinguists, dialectologists, historical linguists and syntacticians alike, this book provides a fascinating new picture of the growth and evolution of English around the globe.

Principles in the Emergence and Evolution of Linguistic Features in World Englishes
Principles in the Emergence and Evolution of Linguistic Features in World Englishes

Author: Tobias Weber

Publisher: Anchor Academic Publishing (aap_verlag)

Published: 2014-02

Total Pages: 101

ISBN-13: 3954891913

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This study deals with different explanatory models for the emergence or existence of linguistic features in varieties of the English language. After a brief overview of the current research, five non-standard varieties from all over the world, ranging from a traditional dialect to pidgins and creoles, are analyzed in two morphosyntactic and two phonological features. The theoretical approaches are discussed with reference to the features, providing recommendations for or advice against certain explanatory models. Finally, Bybee's usage-based functionalist approach and the usage-based synthesis of new-dialect formation according to Ansaldo are highlighted as plausible explanations for the features. Formalist, descriptive universals are rejected in favour of functionalist, cognitive universals in human language processing, acquisition and evolution, as they occur in language contact or speaker contact scenarios - the driving force of language change.

English as a Contact Language
English as a Contact Language

Author: Daniel Schreier

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-01-17

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 1139619268

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Recent developments in contact linguistics suggest considerable overlap of branches such as historical linguistics, variationist sociolinguistics, pidgin/creole linguistics, language acquisition, etc. This book highlights the complexity of contact-induced language change throughout the history of English by bringing together cutting-edge research from these fields. Special focus is on recent debates surrounding substratal influence in earlier forms of English (particularly Celtic influence in Old English), on language shift processes (the formation of Irish and overseas varieties) but also on dialects in contact, the contact origins of Standard English, the notion of new epicentres in World English, the role of children and adults in language change as well as transfer and language learning. With contributions from leading experts, the book offers fresh and exciting perspectives for research and is at the same time an up-to-date overview of the state of the art in the respective fields.

The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes
The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes

Author: Daniel Schreier

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-01-02

Total Pages: 857

ISBN-13: 1108581382

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The plural form 'Englishes' conveys the diversity of English as a global language, pinpointing the growth and existence of a large number of national, regional and social forms. The global spread of English and the new varieties that have emerged around the world has grown to be a vast area of study and research, which intersects multiple disciplines. This Handbook provides a comprehensive and authoritative survey of World Englishes from 1600 to the present day. Covering topics such as variationist sociolinguistics, pragmatics, contact linguistics, linguistic anthropology, corpus- and applied linguistics and language history, it combines discussion of traditional topics with a variety of innovative approaches. The chapters, all written by internationally acclaimed authorities, provide up-to-date discussions of the evolution of different Englishes around the globe, a comprehensive coverage of different models and approaches, and some original perspectives on current challenges.

World Englishes
World Englishes

Author: Mesthrie Rajend Bhatt Rakesh Mohan

Publisher:

Published: 2014-05-14

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 9780511410123

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Discusses the spread of English around the world from a social and linguistic perspective.

The Cambridge Handbook of English Historical Linguistics
The Cambridge Handbook of English Historical Linguistics

Author: Merja Kytö

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-05-03

Total Pages: 1092

ISBN-13: 1316472914

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

English historical linguistics is a subfield of linguistics which has developed theories and methods for exploring the history of the English language. This Handbook provides an account of state-of-the-art research on this history. It offers an in-depth survey of materials, methods, and language-theoretical models used to study the long diachrony of English. The frameworks covered include corpus linguistics, historical sociolinguistics, historical pragmatics and manuscript studies, among others. The chapters, by leading experts, examine the interplay of language theory and empirical data throughout, critically assessing the work in the field. Of particular importance are the diverse data sources which have become increasingly available in electronic form, allowing the discipline to develop in new directions. The Handbook offers access to the rich and many-faceted spectrum of work in English historical linguistics, past and present, and will be useful for researchers and students interested in hands-on research on the history of English.