Parameter Theory and Linguistic Change
Parameter Theory and Linguistic Change

Author: Sonia Cyrino

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2012-11

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 0199659206

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Leading scholars examine languages ranging from old Egyptian to modern Afrikaans. They consider the insights parametric theory offers to understanding the dynamics of language change and test new hypotheses against an extensive array of data. In both the broad range of languages it discusses and its use of linguistic theory this is an outstanding book.

Studying Dialect
Studying Dialect

Author: Rob Penhallurick

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2018-02-22

Total Pages: 406

ISBN-13: 1137584084

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This book provides an accessible yet comprehensive introduction to the study of the dialects of English as they are spoken around the world, from the earliest dialect dictionaries of the sixteenth century to contemporary research emerging from the field of geolinguistics. Organised into ten thematic chapters, it explores and evaluates the methods and purposes of each approach to the study of dialectal variation, with full explanations of technical terms throughout. Illuminating one of the most productive fields of interest in language study, this compelling book is essential reading for students of dialect and regional difference in English.

Isolation and Language Change
Isolation and Language Change

Author: D. Schreier

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2003-05-02

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 0230505260

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Extremely isolated communities offer 'laboratory conditions' for examining the processes of language change and dialect formation. This book presents findings of the first-ever ethnographic fieldwork on the most remote island in the world with a permanent population, Tristan da Cunha. It documents the historical formation of a unique local dialect and investigates the sociolinguistic mechanisms that underlie dialect contact and new-dialect formation. It also uncovers the linguistic consequences of post-insularity - language change processes as a result of increasing contacts with other communities and speakers. Researchers and students of language variation will find this book a unique resource.

Literacy and Language Analysis
Literacy and Language Analysis

Author: Robert J. Scholes

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-12-16

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 1135440093

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This volume investigates the interconnections between language and literacy in terms of the structures of language as well as the linguistic contexts of literacy. The work for this book was generated in order to focus on studies of the acquisition and impact of literacy on traditional assertions of linguistic analysts. The contributors show that claims regarding descriptions of the linguistic competence of native speakers contain phonemic, morphemic, and sentential constructs applicable only to literate language users. They also suggest that syntactic formalities -- elements lacking extensional reference -- are unlikely in the absence of literacy, and that the notions of "sentencehood" and syntactic well-formedness are functions of literacy. Finally, the book reviews the basic notions of literary relativity and the role of literacy in communication and civilization.