Language in the British Isles

Language in the British Isles PDF

Author: David Britain

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2007-08-23

Total Pages: 542

ISBN-13: 1107320127

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The British Isles are home to a vast range of different spoken and signed languages and dialects. Language continues to evolve rapidly, in its diversity, in the number and the backgrounds of its speakers, and in the repercussions it has had for political and educational affairs. This book provides a comprehensive survey of the dominant languages and dialects used in the British Isles. Topics covered include the history of English; the relationship between Standard and Non-Standard Englishes; the major non-standard varieties spoken on the islands; and the history of multilingualism; and the educational and planning implications of linguistic diversity in the British Isles. Among the many dialects and languages surveyed by the volume are British Black English, Celtic languages, Chinese, Indian, European migrant languages, British Sign Language, and Anglo-Romani. Clear and accessible in its approach, it will be welcomed by students in sociolinguistics, English language, and dialectology, as well as anyone interested more generally in language within British society.

Scots

Scots PDF

Author: Billy Kay

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2012-01-06

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 1780574185

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Scots: The Mither Tongue is a classic of contemporary Scottish culture and essential reading for those who care about their country's identity in the twenty-first century. It is a passionately written history of how the Scots have come to speak the way they do and has acted as a catalyst for radical changes in attitude towards the language. In this completely revised edition, Kay vigorously renews the social, cultural and political debate on Scotland's linguistic future, and argues convincingly for the necessity to retain and extend Scots if the nation is to hold on to its intrinsic values. Kay places Scots in an international context, comparing and contrasting it with other lesser-used European languages, while at home questioning the Scottish Executive's desire to pay anything more than lip service to this crucial part of our national identity. Language is central to people's existence, and this vivid account celebrates the survival of Scots in its various dialects, its literature and song. The mither tongue is a national treasure that thrives in many parts of the country and underpins the speech of everyone who calls themselves a Scot.

The British Isles

The British Isles PDF

Author: Bernd Kortmann

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2008-12-10

Total Pages: 545

ISBN-13: 3110208393

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This volume gives a detailed overview of the varieties of English spoken on the British Isles, including lesser-known varieties such as those spoken in Orkney and Shetland and the Channel Islands. The chapters, written by widely acclaimed specialists, provide concise and comprehensive information on the phonological, morphological and syntactic characteristics of each variety discussed. The articles are followed by exercises and study questions. The exercises are geared towards students and can be used for classroom assignments as well as for self study in preparation for exams. Instructors can use the exercises, sound samples and interactive maps to enhance their classroom presentations and to highlight important language features.

The Mouton World Atlas of Variation in English

The Mouton World Atlas of Variation in English PDF

Author: Bernd Kortmann

Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9783110279887

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The Mouton World Atlas of Variation in English (WAVE) presents grammatical variation in spontaneous spoken English, mapping 235 features in 48 varieties of English (traditional dialects, high-contact mother tongue Englishes, and indiginized second-language Englishes) and 26 English-based Pidgins and Creoles in eight Anglophone world regions (Africa, Asia, Australia, British Isles, the Caribbean, North America, the Pacific, and the South Atlantic). The analyses of the 74 varieties are based on descriptive materials, naturalistic corpus data, and native speaker knowledge.

The English Language in Scotland

The English Language in Scotland PDF

Author: Charles Jones

Publisher: John Donald

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13:

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The English language as it is used in Scotland has a genuine claim to be considered one of the important varieties of English in the world today. Scots has also had a major influence outwith its home territory, notably in Ulster and, to a smaller, but no less important extent, in Canada and Australia where both vocabulary and grammatical features of Scots can be found to this day.

Standards of English

Standards of English PDF

Author: Raymond Hickey

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 445

ISBN-13: 0521763894

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The first book-length exploration of 'standard Englishes' with contributions by the leading experts on each major variety of English discussed.

Scots and its Literature

Scots and its Literature PDF

Author: J. Derrick McClure

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1996-01-01

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 9027276056

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Among the topics treated in this collection are the status of Scots as a national language; the orthography of Scots; the actual and potential degree of standardisation of Scots; the debt of the vocabulary of Scots to Gaelic; the use of Scots in fictional dialogue; and the development of Scots as a poetic medium in the modern period. All fourteen articles, written and published between 1979 and 1988, have been extensively revised and updated. J. Derrick McClure is a senior lecturer in the English Department at Aberdeen University and a well-known authority on the history of Scots.