Автор: Richard M. Hogg, Roger Lass, John Algeo
Название: The Cambridge History of the English Language: Vols. I-VI
Издательство: Cambridge University Press
Год: 1992-2001
Язык: English
Формат: pdf
Размер: 51,4 mb
Vol. I. The Beginnings to 1066
Volume I deals with the history of English up to the Norman Conquest, and contains chapters on Indo-European and Germanic, phonology and morphology, syntax, semantics and vocabulary, dialectology, onomastics and literary language. Each chapter, as well as giving a chronologically-oriented presentation of the data, surveys scholarship in the area and takes full account of the impact of developing and current linguistic theory on the interpretation of the data. The chapters have been written with both specialists and nonspecialists in mind; they will be essential reading for all those interested in the history of English.
Vol. II. 1066–1476
Volume II covers the Middle English period, approximately 1066-1476, and describes and analyses developments in the language from the Norman Conquest to the introduction of printing. This period witnessed important features like the assimilation of French and emergence of a standard variety of English. There are chapters on phonology and morphology, syntax, dialectology, lexis and semantics, literary language and onomastics. Each chapter concludes with a section on further reading; and the volume as a whole is supported by an extensive glossary of linguistic terms and a comprehensive bibliography. The chapters are written by specialists who are familiar both with the period of the volume and with modern approaches to the study of historical linguistics. The volume will be welcomed by specialists and non-specialists alike and it will remain the standard account of Middle English for many years to come.
Vol. III. 1476–1776
This volume treats the history of English from the late fifteenth to the late eighteenth century; the dates are at least partly symbolic, framing the establishment of Caxton’s first press in England and the American Declaration of Independence, the notional birth of the first (non-insular) extraterritorial English. The preceding volume covered a slightly longer time-span (four centuries as opposed to three), but in our period the changes in the cultural ambience in which English existed and which its speakers expressed were arguably more profound, perhaps greater even than those from the murky ‘beginnings’ of volume I to the Norman Conquest; even perhaps than those in the millennium from the fifth to the fifteenth century.
Vol. IV. 1776–1997
Volume IV deals with the history of the English language from 1776 to 1997. An extensive introduction details the changing socio-historical setting in which English has developed in response to a continuing background of diversity as it was transplanted to North America and beyond. Separate chapters on pronunciation, syntax, and vocabulary chronicle the linguistic features of the language during this period, taking as the basis for discussion the common core inherited form the sixteenth century and shared by what are now the two principal varieties, American and British English. In addition, there are chapters on English as a literary language, English grammar and usage, and onomastics.
Vol. V. English in Britain and Overseas: Origins and Development
Volume V looks at the dialects of England since 1776, the historical development of English in the former Celtic-speaking countries of Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and at varieties of English in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Caribbean and South Asia. This unique volume will be welcomed by all those interested in the spread of English around the world.
Vol. VI. English in North America
This volume traces the history of English in North America during the past 400 years. Sixteen leading authorities in the field consider how the vocabulary (both standard and slang), grammar, spelling, and usage in both the standard language and regional and social dialects have evolved, and examine the relationship of and interaction between British and American English. Separate chapters deal with African-American English, Canadian English and Newfoundland English. The volume also includes suggestions for further reading, a glossary of linguistic terms, and an extensive bibliography.