Published by De Gruyter Mouton

The History of English

Overview
Volumes

This new series occupies a middle ground between textbooks on the history of English, typically addressed to the undergraduate student, and handbooks on English historical linguistics, typically addressed to the scholar. The volumes would be suitable for use in an advanced (graduate) course as well by researchers in the field. They provide comprehensive coverage of the history of English, arranged by linguistic level and period, as well as current linguistic research into key questions and debates in English historical linguistics written by leading authorities. The first volume provides an overview of the history of English, the second to fourth volumes focus on the Old, Middle, and Early Modern English periods, and the fifth volume treats language variation from an historical perspective. More specialized topics not typically treated in textbooks (such as pragmatics, discourse, literary language, sociolinguistics) are included. Each volume is free standing and can be used on its own or in combination.

Comprehensive coverage of the history of English and of major varieties of English

Synopsis of current research into key questions and debates in English historical linguistics

Individual chapters written by leading authorities in the field

Author / Editor information

Alexander Bergs, Osnabrück, Germany; Laurel Brinton, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Book 2017

Volume 1 Historical Outlines from Sound to Text

Laurel J. Brinton, Alexander Bergs

In the series Mouton Reader

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The volume provides a comprehensive overview of the history of English and explores key questions and debates. A re-evaluation of the concept of periodization is followed by overviews of changes in the traditional linguistic areas – phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics – and chapters on prosody, idioms, fixed expressions, onomastics, orthography, register, and standardization, among others.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525281
ISBN:: 9783110525281
ISBN:: 9783110523034
ISBN:: 9783110522389
Subject:: Linguistics and Semiotics
Subject:: Theoretical Frameworks and Disciplines
Subject:: Historical Linguistics
Subject:: Germanic Languages
Subject:: English
Publisher:: De Gruyter Mouton

Book 2017

Volume 2 Old English

Laurel J. Brinton, Alexander Bergs

In the series Mouton Reader

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The volume provides an in-depth account of Old English, organized by linguistic level. Individual chapters investigate the state-of-the art in the linguistics of Old English and explore key areas of debate such as dialectology, language contact, standardization, and literary language. The volume sets the scene with a chapter on pre-Old English and ends with a chapter discussing textual resources available for the study of earlier English.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525304
ISBN:: 9783110525304
ISBN:: 9783110523058
ISBN:: 9783110522730
Subject:: Linguistics and Semiotics
Subject:: Theoretical Frameworks and Disciplines
Subject:: Historical Linguistics
Subject:: Germanic Languages
Subject:: English
Publisher:: De Gruyter Mouton

Book 2017

Volume 3 Middle English

Laurel J. Brinton, Alexander Bergs

In the series Mouton Reader

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The volume provides a wide-ranging account of Middle English, organized by linguistic level. Not only are the traditional areas of linguistic study explored in state-of-the-art chapters, but the volume also covers less traditional areas of study, including creolization, sociolinguistics, literary language (including the language of Chaucer), pragmatics and discourse, dialectology, standardization, language contact, and multilingualism.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525328
ISBN:: 9783110525328
ISBN:: 9783110522969
ISBN:: 9783110522761
Subject:: Linguistics and Semiotics
Subject:: Theoretical Frameworks and Disciplines
Subject:: Historical Linguistics
Subject:: Germanic Languages
Subject:: English
Publisher:: De Gruyter Mouton

Book 2017

Volume 4 Early Modern English

Alexander Bergs, Laurel J. Brinton

In the series Mouton Reader

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This volume provides a comprehensive account of Early Modern English, organized by linguistic level. The volume not only presents detailed outlines of the traditional language levels, it also explores key questions and debates, such as do-periphrasis, the Great Vowel Shift, pronouns and relativization, literary language (including the language of Shakespeare), and sociolinguistics, including contact and standardization.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525069
ISBN:: 9783110525069
ISBN:: 9783110522914
ISBN:: 9783110522778
Subject:: Linguistics and Semiotics
Subject:: Theoretical Frameworks and Disciplines
Subject:: Historical Linguistics
Subject:: Germanic Languages
Subject:: English
Publisher:: De Gruyter Mouton

Book 2017

Volume 5 Varieties of English

Alexander Bergs, Laurel J. Brinton

In the series Mouton Reader

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This volume is one of the first detailed expositions of the history of different varieties of English. It explores language variation and varieties of English from an historical perspective, covering theoretical topics such as diffusion and supraregionalization as well as concrete descriptions of the internal and external historical developments of more than a dozen varieties of English.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525045
ISBN:: 9783110525045
ISBN:: 9783110523041
ISBN:: 9783110522792
Subject:: Linguistics and Semiotics
Subject:: Theoretical Frameworks and Disciplines
Subject:: Historical Linguistics
Subject:: Germanic Languages
Subject:: English
Publisher:: De Gruyter Mouton