Language norms and language use in seventeenth-century Dutch
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Judith Nobels
Abstract
The chapter discusses language norms and language use in the Northern Netherlands in the seventeenth century. The seventeenth century is traditionally considered a crucial stage in the development of the Dutch standard variety. Nevertheless, the influence of normative publications on language use has hardly been investigated. On the basis of a large and socially stratified corpus of seventeenth-century private letters, the chapter provides a detailed account of the possible influence of codified norms on actual language use, focusing on two features with presumably high awareness, viz. negation and the genitive case. The chapter concludes that there is only limited evidence that language users adhered to prescriptive norms.
Abstract
The chapter discusses language norms and language use in the Northern Netherlands in the seventeenth century. The seventeenth century is traditionally considered a crucial stage in the development of the Dutch standard variety. Nevertheless, the influence of normative publications on language use has hardly been investigated. On the basis of a large and socially stratified corpus of seventeenth-century private letters, the chapter provides a detailed account of the possible influence of codified norms on actual language use, focusing on two features with presumably high awareness, viz. negation and the genitive case. The chapter concludes that there is only limited evidence that language users adhered to prescriptive norms.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- The interplay of language norms and usage patterns. Comparing the history of Dutch, English, French and German 1
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Dutch
- Language norms and language use in seventeenth-century Dutch 21
- Language norms and language use in eighteenth-century Dutch 49
- Norms and usage in nineteenth-century Southern Dutch 73
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English
- Norms and usage in seventeenth-century English 103
- Eighteenth-century English normative grammars and their readers 129
- Nineteenth-century English 151
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French
- From l’usage to le bon usage and back 173
- Jacques-Louis Ménétra and his experience of the langue d’oc 201
- From local to supra-local 223
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German
- Language description, prescription and usage in seventeenth-century German 251
- Standard German in the eighteenth century 277
- Prescriptive norms and norms of usage in nineteenth-century German 303
- Index 321
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- The interplay of language norms and usage patterns. Comparing the history of Dutch, English, French and German 1
-
Dutch
- Language norms and language use in seventeenth-century Dutch 21
- Language norms and language use in eighteenth-century Dutch 49
- Norms and usage in nineteenth-century Southern Dutch 73
-
English
- Norms and usage in seventeenth-century English 103
- Eighteenth-century English normative grammars and their readers 129
- Nineteenth-century English 151
-
French
- From l’usage to le bon usage and back 173
- Jacques-Louis Ménétra and his experience of the langue d’oc 201
- From local to supra-local 223
-
German
- Language description, prescription and usage in seventeenth-century German 251
- Standard German in the eighteenth century 277
- Prescriptive norms and norms of usage in nineteenth-century German 303
- Index 321
