244 Pages
by
Routledge
244 Pages
by
Routledge
248 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Through his analysis of selected major developments in the history of English, Jeremy Smith argues that the history of the language can only be understood from a dynamic perspective. He proposes that internal linguistic mechanisms for language change cannot be meaningfully explained in isolation or without reference to external linguistic factors. <BR> Smith provides the reader with an... Read more
Part 1; Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 On evidence; Chapter 3 Linguistic evolution; Part 2; Chapter 4 Transmission I: change in writing-system; Chapter 5 Transmission II: sound-change; Chapter 6 Change in the lexicon; Chapter 7 Grammatical change; Part 3; Chapter 8 Two varieties in context; Chapter 9 Conclusion; Notes; Suggestions for further reading; References; Index;
Biography
Jeremy Smith is Reader in English Language at the University of Glasgow.
'In this book the dynamic and interactive nature of linguistic change is well documented ... throughout the book close analysis of data is sucessfully combined with sociolinguistic insights in a search for understanding of the mechanisms of change. The result is often an exciting synthesis and always a stimulating one.' - Language & Linguistics, Vol 2. No. 198
