Twentieth-Century English

History, Variation and Standardization

Christian Mair author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:26th Oct '06

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Twentieth-Century English cover

This book documents changes to the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation of Standard English over the past century.

Standard English has evolved in many ways over the past hundred years. From pronunciation to vocabulary to grammar, this concise survey clearly documents the recent history of Standard English. Essential reading for anyone interested in language change in progress, it will be welcomed by students, researchers and language teachers alike.Standard English has evolved and developed in many ways over the past hundred years. From pronunciation to vocabulary to grammar, this concise survey clearly documents the recent history of Standard English. Drawing on large amounts of authentic corpus data, it shows how we can track ongoing changes to the language, and demonstrates each of the major developments that have taken place. As well as taking insights from a vast body of literature, Christian Mair presents the results of his own cutting-edge research, revealing some important changes which have not been previously documented. He concludes by exploring how social and cultural factors, such as the American influence on British English, have affected Standard English in recent times. Authoritative, informative and engaging, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in language change in progress, particularly those working on English, and will be welcomed by students, researchers and language teachers alike.

'Mair's thoroughness is illustrated in the responsible argumentation which leaves hardly any claim untested. … a very welcome addition to the literature available.' Manfred Görlach

ISBN: 9780521832199

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 19mm

Weight: 550g

262 pages